


Tethered

by tonytonesphoneroo5000



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Amnesia, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Forgiveness & Redemption, M/M, Scent Marking, Scott is a Good Friend, Slow Burn, Soul Bond, Various Werewolf Tropes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 51,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23679499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonytonesphoneroo5000/pseuds/tonytonesphoneroo5000
Summary: Theo thought his life couldn't get any worse than being homeless and plagued with visions of his dead sister. He's about to be proved wrong.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 367
Kudos: 431





	1. 'this is my worst morning ever' 'is it because we're soul bonded and have no idea why?' 'no, because it's a little humid-YES, IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE SOUL BONDED AND HAVE NO IDEA WHY!'

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Loudest_Silence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Loudest_Silence/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aka ‘oh so we’re fr doing this then’  
> wherein the author goes 'ah fuck ah fuck ah fuck' every time she tries to think about how much writing this is going to take but also everything she has in store for these two.
> 
> pls support me while i try to write my first ever 50k fic. we'll see what happens but i'm doing my best

Theo wakes up curled in the backseat of his truck, sweating already because he’s overheating, grumbles and pushes at the thing making him hot. It yelps as it falls into the footwell, Theo jumping into full awareness as he sits up and stares down at Liam, who’s only half awake and peering up at him from the footwell before his eyes widen and flare yellow, his hand swiping at Theo with clawed fingers. Theo easily catches and holds it, pinning his hand against the back of the driver’s side seat. 

“What the fuck, Theo!” Liam’s scrambling up from the footwell, wrenching his hand free and crawling over Theo’s body to hold him down, a wrist in each hand. Theo snarls, twists his clawed hands in Liam’s grip, and turns his head to sink his fangs into Liam’s wrist. Except it hurts _Theo_ too, both of them yelping as Liam yanks his hand away, holding his already healing arm close. He looks wounded, like it’s _Theo’s_ fault for defending himself when he’s attacked. 

Liam’s perched on Theo’s hips, and if it were anyone else but the most annoying fucking person in the world who mysteriously showed up in his car, Theo might enjoy this. It’s been a while. As is, he shoves Liam off him again, sending him sprawling back against the opposite door, shaking the truck on its axis. 

“What are you doing here?” he yells, gesturing to the inside of his truck, only noticing now that there’s a healing wound on his own wrist that matches Liam’s. Fear crawls up from his stomach. That’s...not right.

“I don’t know, why did you _kidnap_ me and bring me to your truck just to _snuggle me to death_. Which you failed at, by the way. ” As if Theo would have any real issue killing Liam if he actually wanted to.

“I fucking hate you, Dunbar. Snuggling with you is the least of my priorities.” 

They sit on both sides of his truck, glaring at each other, until Liam sighs, runs a hand through his stupid long hair. There are the barest threads of yellow in his eyes. Theo can feel the shift just under his skin, under both their skins, relations between them tense even at the best of times. It had been okay at the hospital, Theo staring down at his own hand with wonder, finally able to take pain. Liam had even clapped him on the back, before he seemed to remember that Theo is Theo, and they went back to normal. Normal being mostly avoidance, Theo slinking around Beacon Hills and taking what he can. Scott occasionally checks up on him, which Theo doesn’t really appreciate. He’d rather be left alone. 

“I...how did you get here, Dunbar?” Theo’s parked far out in the Preserve, behind the old Hale house. It’s become something of a regular spot for him. The people in town think it’s haunted, so the cops rarely come here. Theo doesn’t believe in ghosts, not outside of his memory anyway. He doesn’t have anything to fear from the deceased members of the Hale family. As is, the Hale house has begun to feel like something of a home for him, a safe enough place to come back to where he won’t be attacked by hunters or forced to move on by police. That makes it all the worse that Liam is here, in the only space Theo has that could even vaguely be considered safe. 

Liam pulls his legs to his chest, seeming to want to be as far away from Theo as possible, his forearms resting on his knees. His knuckles are crosshatched with old scars, from when he was human, his fingernails stubby and short. Theo would bet anything that he bites them. “I don’t remember how I got here,” Liam admits, tapping his thumb against his fingers in a way that seems to be habit. “And…” He tips his head back against the window, exposing the long line of his throat, Theo eying it. Instincts can’t be helped. “ _Fuck_. I need to take my meds soon.” Theo judges that it’s about seven in the morning; his phone is dead in his pocket, so he’s not sure. The sun’s streaming in through his windows, streaking past the trees to stripe Liam’s face. 

“What meds?” He scents the air, smells a purely sugar scent instead of the not unpleasantly bitter twist he associates with Liam. That must be the medication.

Liam scowls at him, his scent wavering between hot anger and bitter resentment, never quite deciding on either. It means he’s moody, unusually so even for forced proximity to Theo. Theo’s always kind of seen him as an idiot puppy, pleased to just go along with whatever Scott wants. He can be prickly, with the IED, but Theo assumed that was mostly just around him. 

He’s seen how Liam is with Scott and the rest of the pack, happy enough just to be with them, surrounded by their unconditional affection. Humans are already social creatures, and the wolf makes the pack mean more than anything, stronger than family. Scott is especially fond of him, Liam his only bitten beta besides Hayden. Baby beta gets special treatment.

Theo didn’t mean much of anything by his question about the meds. Liam still levels a narrow eyed glare in his direction. “Like I would tell you.”

Theo shrugs, quickly kicking the door behind Liam open so he tumbles out backwards onto the ground, Theo feeling the shock of pain in his own shoulders and spine. A helpful breath of cool air touches his face, Theo breathing in the smell of the woods, trees and dead leaves and animals. “Whatever, Dunbar. I’ll chalk this down to you having moon madness.” 

He doesn’t care if he never sees Liam again, would turn his back on this shitty little town if he could. He would’ve left Beacon Hills months ago, except he’s safer here under the semi-protection of the McCall pack than he would be anywhere else. A lone wolf is in danger, a lone chimera even more so. At least a werewolf can look for others of his species. Theo is only related, in the barest definition of the term, to Corey, who Theo’s pretty sure wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire.

Liam scrambles to his feet, hair in disarray, brushing leaves from his clothes and glaring at Theo, muttering obscenities. Theo’s already decided to ignore whatever that whole thing was. Beacon Hills is bizarre, and weirder shit than this happens all the time. He never has to see Liam again, if he’s careful.

Except as Liam heads off into the woods, he makes it about twelve feet away before he’s jerked back, Theo pulled forward at the same time. “What the hell…” Liam mutters, spinning around like he thinks someone was responsible for that, eyes landing only on Theo, who’s still in his truck. He tries again, and the same thing happens, the feeling horribly like someone trying to tear Tara’s heart out, Theo making a choked noise.

“Liam, stop,” he manages to get out, putting a hand to his chest, scratching there. Tara’s heart still beats safely in the cradle of his ribs. Liam tries again and Theo can almost feel Tara’s icy fingers taking her heart back, all the breath leaving him. “ _Please_.” 

Liam stops trying to move away, stands there with his arms loose at his side as Theo tries to calm his rocketing pulse. He never had a problem with it before, when he hadn’t, you know, had his heart ripped out of his chest a thousand fucking times. “Something is wrong,” Liam says, which. Obviously. Of course Theo would be stuck with the biggest fucking idiot in the McCall pack. 

“Wow, Liam, your astute observations never fail to amaze me.” 

Liam ignores him, starts patting his pockets and produces his phone with a pleased noise. Theo edges towards the open door of his truck, sits sideways with his feet on the running board to watch as Liam grimaces, his phone probably pinging with a thousand soppy text messages from his concerned pack. Theo’s phone only has Scott’s number in it, and he’s never used it. “My mom wants to know where I am,” Liam says, almost to himself, thumbing through his phone. He puts a thumb to his mouth, biting at the nail there, Theo taking a quiet pleasure at being right about his habits. 

“What are you going to tell her?” Surely not that he’s sitting in a clearing in the middle of the woods with a murderer. 

“That I’m with Scott. She won’t mind, she loves Scott.” He says that like it’s assumed, like everyone loves Scott, which, admittedly, even Theo kind of likes Scott now that he doesn’t have to kill him. Scott makes everything easy, and he’s so sincere about it. He found out that Theo works at a shitty gas station by the edge of town, where he mostly flips through magazines and tries not to snarl at customers, and takes time to visit. It’s fucking ridiculous. Theo _killed_ him.

There’s a long pause as Liam stares down at his phone, neither of them in a hurry to talk to each other, as Liam’s scent sours with distress and confusion until Theo can’t stand it anymore, has to snap, “ _What?_ ”

“The last time I texted Mason was around eight last night, when I was walking back from his house…”

“Okay?” Theo says, not getting the problem. So Liam didn’t text his little best friend for a couple hours last night, who cares.

“I text Mason almost nonstop until I go to sleep at _ten_ , Theo. And my mom said I never came home last night. The time between then and now is just...gone.” 

He takes a moment to wonder what it’s like to have a friend like Mason, someone you automatically text everyday and have known forever. The closest thing Theo has to that is Scott and Stiles, and. Well. 

Theo almost wants to fight Liam on it, wants to pretend that nothing is wrong even with this thing between them keeping Liam close, but he finally has to admit, “I can’t remember anything from last night, either.” 

He knows he was in town, digging through dumpsters, not that he’ll ever tell Liam that. He can survive fine off hunted animals in his shifted form, but sometimes the human side craves more. He’s been slowly saving up to rent an apartment, one he doesn’t have to share. He doesn’t think a roommate will appreciate it when he forgets himself and grows claws. With all his money going towards that, he doesn’t have much left over for food or anything else besides the barest necessities; he’s been brushing his teeth in the bathroom at work. He breaks into the high school to shower sometimes, at least. It’s become something of a luxury. 

After the dumpsters, after around eight, Theo can’t remember. His truck wasn’t even parked here, it was in town, and he doesn’t recall driving it. Dread creeps up his spine.“We have to call Scott,” Liam decides, stepping back within five feet of Theo, who can finally begin to relax his shoulders, rolling his neck.

“Or we could leave. Go on the run,” Theo suggests, knowing even as he says it that Liam would never do it, has too many ties to this town and none to Theo.

“No. That’s what you would do, and I’m not you,” Liam dismisses, crossing in front of Theo’s truck to get in the passenger seat and waiting, impatiently, for Theo to scramble out of the back and into his place at the wheel.

“Obviously. If you were me, this never would have happened.” 

Liam scoffs, his leg starting to jiggle as he scrolls through his phone again; for what, Theo isn’t sure. Probably checking all his social media accounts, something Theo still doesn’t quite understand and definitely isn’t going to ask Liam about. The Dread Doctors only cared if he was able to pass as a normal teenager on the surface, they didn’t waste time buying him a phone. 

“You got caught too, Theo.” Theo doesn’t have an answer for that, and he bites the inside of his lip, annoyed. 

They’re quiet for the drive out of the Preserve, Theo mulling over his options. If this was any other situation, he would run. He can be homeless anywhere else in this country, he doesn’t need to be in Beacon Hills where everyone hates him and he sees visions of Tara at every turn. Tara at the ice cream store they used to go to as a family, Tara on the steps of the church where they held her funeral, Tara lingering outside their old house, watching him with her milky dead eyes. He scratches over the space where her heart beats, unsettled.

“Do I need to give you Scott’s address?” Liam asks as they pull onto the highway, Theo shaking his head.

“No.”

“You know where Scott lives?”

Theo’s fingers tighten on the wheel. He wants to say, _I’ve always known where Scott lives. I cased out his house and your house and everyone else’s houses. I could’ve killed you all while you slept and I didn’t. Doesn’t that count for something?_ It doesn’t, though, not really, so instead he says, “I was friends with him when we were kids.” Which is true enough, not that Liam would pick up on a lie. 

“Oh. Right.”

“Any more questions? Want to know my favorite color?” Liam was just trying to be helpful, Theo knows, but he can’t resist the urge to needle. 

“The red of your enemy’s blood,” Liam mutters, sulking back into his seat, arms over his chest. 

“No, it’s the pink of someone’s organs falling out when I disembowel them,” he snarks back, tapping the gas so they’re going a hair over the speed limit. He hears Liam swallow, grins to himself. “And then there are all the other colors, the blue of the veins, the-” 

“You’re a fucking psycho,” Liam says with real heat, hunching in his seat to be as far from Theo as possible. “I know that’s what you did to Josh.” 

Which suddenly makes it all a lot less funny, Theo suppressing his dry heave only with supreme effort, knuckles turning white around the wheel. He doesn’t have any more clever answers.

* * *

When they get to Scott’s, Liam rushes out of his car like there’s something poisonous in there, which, to him, there probably is. Theo deserves all their hatred and more, Liam’s vitriol shouldn’t bother him.

Scott’s house hadn’t changed in the years after Theo left Beacon Hills, it just settled into itself and became even more of a home to lost little lambs, like Alec, the werewolf Scott picked up a couple weeks ago. Theo hears he was involved in an issue with Monroe, with an Alpha who wasn’t an Alpha until her entire pack died and the power was forced on her, sent her mad and rampaging. An Alpha without a pack will always start another one, they can’t resist the urge. Theo witnessed the Dread Doctors do it, once. The ensuing carnage had pleased them greatly. 

Alec was unlucky enough to be a teenage runaway who crossed her path and had his life changed forever. Similar enough to Scott’s story to inspire his sympathy, Theo is sure, not that it takes much. Even Theo himself seems to inspire Scott’s sympathy.

Theo would be content to sit out here and listen as Liam explains everything, safe in his truck, but he feels the tug of the bond as soon as Liam gets further than about ten feet from him, is pulled irresistibly from his car and onto the footpath that leads to the McCall house, Liam bounding up the steps familiar as anything. Not only is it a friendly looking place, but the whole house reeks of the McCall pack, layer over layer with Scott’s Alpha smell on top of it all. Even the pack humans probably feel soothed by this place, without knowing why. No wonder Liam is so comfortable here, it’ll be more of a home to him than his real one. Werewolves are so easily manipulated by pack bonds.

To Theo, an outsider, it smells like a threat. He wrinkles his nose, walks as slowly as possible while taking the time to listen for who’s inside. Scott, of course, and his mother. Alec, whose fast rabbity heartbeat somehow still hasn’t calmed down after all this time safe with the true Alpha. Pathetic. And Argent, which is...great. Fucking fantastic. Argent is the worst of them, keeps a hand near his gun whenever Theo is around.

Theo hesitates, wondering how strong the bond with Liam is, if maybe he can break it and leave for good. Except Liam stops just as he gets to the door, claps a hand to his stomach right as the ache in Tara’s heart starts to become unbearable. “ _Ow?_ You know that hurts, right?” 

“Obviously.” Theo squares his shoulders and climbs up the steps, shouldering past Liam so he knocks into the doorway, a burst of pain spreading across Theo’s arm, too. He’s going to have to rethink how he treats Liam from now on, doesn’t relish the thought of having a broken nose while feeling Liam’s broken nose as well. 

Inside, the house is just as cute and homey and _disgusting_. It’s so obvious that a happy family lives here and does happy family things together.

Scott’s waiting for them in the living room, concerned and sincere and steady. Theo feels a little better just looking at him, which is frustrating, so he levels a glare at Alec, on Scott’s right, satisfied when Alec cringes slightly into Scott’s side under his gaze, eyes flaring yellow. New werewolves, so jumpy. Argent is around somewhere too, close enough to listen. His heartbeat is calm and slow, as if he’s still sleeping. Theo doubts the man has slept past 5 A.M. in his life, not with what he knows about hunters. Argent may be able to calm his heartbeat, but the scent of a hunter never changes. Silver and wolfsbane, with a hint of the mistletoe bullets he keeps around just for Theo. The only thing Theo can be harmed by is mistletoe, something the doctors couldn’t tweak out of him.

There are open chairs in the room, not that Theo would take them. He’s not comfortable here. He leans against the fireplace instead, unwilling to have his back open with Argent around. This pack sent him to Hell once, he’s not going to go back there again until he has to. 

“I can’t get away from Theo,” Liam says without a hello, throwing himself on the armchair that faces away from Theo, who throws a sneer at the tufts of dark hair he can barely see over the armchair’s back. If only he had left when he had the chance, none of this would be happening. He’s not sure who he hates more, himself or Liam. 

“What do you mean?” Scott asks, not seeming too concerned about something that is _ruining Theo’s entire life_. It’s fair enough, though, considering what else this pack has faced over the years. At least there isn’t a homicidal lizard involved this time, Theo’s heard all about that one.

“Look.”

Theo doesn’t try to stop Liam as he gets to his feet and walks into the kitchen, braces himself as the other two watch him with confusion. Liam makes it about twelve feet away before Theo feels the tug in his heart and Liam is yanked back, touching a hand to his stomach. It must hurt him in a different place, Theo darkly satisfied that he’s not alone with this pain as he taps the first two knuckles on his right hand against Tara’s heart, unsettled until Liam comes closer, gesturing between them. “Do you see?” Scott’s nodding, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, going into true Alpha mode. Alec just looks bewildered. He probably has no idea what is or isn’t normal in this strange new supernatural world he’s been thrown into. “And then there’s this. Theo, hold out your arm.” Theo wants to refuse on principle, but the more difficult he is, the longer it will take to get out of here. He extends an arm, pulls the sleeve up so as to expose the pale, thin skin of his wrist. Liam flicks a claw out, grimacing as he cuts a line across his own arm. A second later the same cut appears on Theo’s wrist, beginning to heal almost as soon as it appears. Theo would’ve cut deeper. He’s had worse. “Do you see?”

“He’s not blind, Liam.” Anymore. That stunt with the Anuk Ite was stupid, easily solved with a blindfold. Scott is so carelessly brave, almost helpless without Stiles.

“That’s...not good,” Scott says, which is obvious and Theo is so over this, can already feel the itch under his skin making him even nastier than he usually is. 

“Well, get rid of it,” he says, stepping forward to rest his arms against the back of the armchair as Liam returns to sit in it, the other two facing them from across the coffee table.

“I have no idea what this is,” Scott admits, and neither does Argent, or he would’ve said something by now instead of lurking. “I’m gonna have to call Deaton.” For once, Theo and Liam are on the same page; they exchange a hopeless look.

* * *

Theo doesn’t like Deaton; he never has, knows that he’s a druid and knows that he would never have gotten as far as he did if Deaton hadn’t been kidnapped by the Desert Wolf around the time the Dread Doctors came to town. Even Deaton’s voice on the phone, cultured and amused, gently answering Scott’s questions, has Theo’s back up. He hates people who can see right through him.

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of anything quite like this before,” Deaton tells Scott, who has the phone on speaker, all of them crowded around it. Theo brushes shoulders with Alec, who doesn’t even flinch away. Theo can’t remember the last time he touched someone who didn’t hate him. It might have been Tracy, which makes him sick to his stomach. Liam throws him a strange look, probably feeling it through the stupid fucking bond. Theo ignores him.“Not without the involvement of some fairly serious magic.”

Scott looks to Liam, who shrugs. “I don’t remember anything. Neither does Theo.” Deaton makes a thoughtful noise; there’s the sound of pages flipping. Theo’s starting to realize that this bond, whatever it is, probably won’t be going away any time soon. Meaning he’s stuck here, in Beacon Hills, for the foreseeable future. With Liam Dunbar attached to him. Maybe if he kills Liam, the bond will be severed, and he can escape.

Liam’s on Theo’s left side, hunched over the phone screen, his neck vulnerable and exposed. He hates Theo, but he’s so trusting, relaxed when surrounded by pack. Theo could kill him right now, faster than Alec could stop him, and be out the door while Scott’s still trying to halt the bleeding. He’s too much of a soft touch to ignore a wounded pack member in order to chase Theo. The pack might come for him, after, when it’s too late and Theo has disappeared. He doesn’t stand out so much if he’s careful. Or he could full shift, wander as an unusually large dog until the heat dies down. The longest Theo’s spent in the shift was a month; he’s sure he can go longer. He’s not as casual about killing anymore, but he still can when he has to.

He extends the claws on his left arm, making an interested noise as Deaton blathers on about mystical energies, eyes the nape of Liam’s neck where he could hook his claws up and into the cerebellum, tearing it away. It would be quick, almost painless, and Theo is halfway decided on his next move when he raises his head and meets Scott’s glowing red eyes. The other two are still listening to Deaton, oblivious as Scott gives him a look that’s more disappointed than angry, shaking his head. _I thought you were better than this_ , his face says, which is ludicrous because Theo isn’t better than anything. Theo has done worse than this to people; at least this manner of death wouldn’t have hurt. 

Theo’s claws sink back into his nail beds, though, and for some reason he’s actually more relieved than angry. He’s not sure what happened when he came back from Hell, but he doesn’t really like killing innocent people anymore, even when they’re as annoying as Liam is. It hurts what he thinks might be a conscience. And he’s afraid of going back to Hell; he lies to himself sometimes, that if he does enough good, repents enough, he won’t end up there permanently when he dies. He _used_ to be an atheist, before he woke up in a morgue being endlessly hunted by Tara.

Scott’s eyes fade back to their usual warm brown, and he actually smiles like Theo did something good. Scott is so fucking weird. “I believe I may know what this is,” Deaton is saying, and they all lean in close. “Your souls have been bonded together.” 

“Theo has a _soul?!_ ” Liam exclaims, which isn’t funny at all and neither is Alec’s stifled snort of laughter. 

Theo digs an elbow into his ribs until he yelps, asks, “So how do we get rid of it?” 

“I have no idea,” Deaton admits, so casually. Maybe he wouldn’t be so casual if Theo ripped his lungs out and ate them. 

“But we can’t stay like this, I hate Theo.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Theo mutters. He sends another glare at the back of Liam’s head. There’s probably nothing in there but fluff and anger and Liam’s obsession with lacrosse. 

“Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, you two are linked.” Theo begins to swear viciously under his breath.

* * *

Deaton promises to start work on the issue, and Theo will be visiting him _very often_ to check up on his progress. Not, of course, without Liam, who lingers in the McCall house while Theo waits outside, or as much outside as he can be without testing the bond. He’s more half-in the doorway than anything, the door open and letting hot air in, not that Theo cares about the McCall’s air conditioning bill. 

He does eventually close the door, though, testing a theory, and is pleased when he’s right. The bond is fine through closed doors, so Theo won’t have to have Liam constantly in his line of sight. Thank fuck. Liam is pretty, Theo has enough objectivity to admit that, but he’s also very often scowling or yelling or just generally being obnoxious. And there’s the issue of using the bathroom. 

Satisfied, Theo slouches against the door, thinks about being stuck to Liam and the fact that he’s actually quite relieved Deaton confirmed he has a soul, something he very privately wasn’t entirely sure about, is eventually lost in thought enough that he can be forgiven for not noticing Liam’s approach until the door is being swung open and he stumbles back, Liam catching him easily, his breath ruffling the back of Theo’s hair, hot on his ear. He smells sweet, like cherry candy. He always has. Theo’s skin prickles into goosebumps. Liam’s arms wrap around Theo’s chest for a moment, making sure he’s steady, before Liam pushes him hard enough that he stumbles forward. “Watch out, Theo, jeez,” Liam says, mostly good natured even with the terrible news they just recieved. Theo is too embarrassed to snark back at him, chooses instead to offer an awkward thanks.

“What do we do now?” he asks as they go down the steps, Theo positive that the continued goosebumps he feels is due to Argent watching him from somewhere in the house. He doesn’t give Argent the gratification of turning around. 

“I want to sleep,” Liam says, yawning. Theo doesn’t mind the thought of getting more sleep in; whatever happened last night, he’s pretty sure he was awake for most of it, because he’s exhausted. 

“Alright, we’ll go to your place.”

“Um, no, we will not.” Liam gestures to where their wrists are brushing together, Theo not even noticing he’d moved, as they get to his truck. “My parents don’t even know I’m a _werewolf_. How am I supposed to explain _this_ to them?” This, presumably, being Theo and his past, and also their forced bond. “We’ll stay at yours, I’ll just tell them I'm at Mason’s or something.” 

“We’re not going to my place,” Theo hisses, feeling panic begin to crawl up from his chest. 

“Look, I promise not to judge you for a messy room,” Liam says, rolling his eyes. He tugs a little, Theo helplessly following. 

“I don’t want you in my space,” Theo tries, knowing exactly how stubborn Liam can be, which was helpful when he was trying to take down the pack but is a lot less helpful now that Liam is staring at him like he’s crazy, gesturing between them. 

“Kind of can’t help that, Theo!” 

“We’re _not_ going to mine,” Theo says through his teeth, feeling the fangs trying to come out, bites at his tongue and tastes blood. Liam is starting to smell angry, like hot cinnamon candies, and Theo doesn’t want to set him off. He knows, he _always_ knows, that werewolves are stronger than him. And now he can’t escape if Liam lashes out. 

“Theo...how am I supposed to explain to my parents that some guy they’ve never met has to live with us because we’re soul bonded and can’t be more than twelve feet apart?”

“I don't care,” Theo seethes, wondering why he had to be bonded to Liam, who’s so good at getting under his skin. “Your family isn’t my problem.” 

“Right. Because you killed yours. Why would I let you near mine?” 

Theo is so damn sick of people talking about Tara. “Because I’m fucking _homeless_ ,” Theo finally shouts, Liam stepping back as Theo feels the ping of it through the bond. “Okay? I've been living in my truck since you brought me back from Hell, which, thanks by the way.” He presses a clawed finger into Liam’s chest, hisses, “If you want to sleep somewhere that isn’t in the back seat, with _me_ , then we’re going to your house.” 

Liam’s blinking up at him, blue eyes wide and baffled. Theo waits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another 'theo reveals something big and the author ends it on a cliffhanger' chapter lol sorry guys


	2. catch me having to become a whole pharmacist just to write this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's more, with the bond explained a bit better for everyone, i hope!
> 
> theo is such a nasty bitch in this, it's a delight to write

He doesn’t have to wait long; guilt starts to creep through Liam’s scent, along with surprise and, of course, a little bit of anger. Theo gets comfortable against the side of his truck. It’s still warm from the engine as he crosses his arms over his chest, watching Liam go through varied emotions before settling on confusion. Theo’s sure that’s a feeling he’s familiar with.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” he asks, doing a sort of annoyed shrug, hands going up. 

“Where was I going to live, Liam? With you?” 

He pictures trying to fit into Liam’s family, his tiny blonde mom and Dr. Geyer, with Liam simmering at him all the while. He would almost rather live in his truck. Liam bites the full curve of his bottom lip, smelling even guiltier. Theo tries to genuinely imagine what would’ve happened if the pack knew. They probably would’ve tried to get him in a shelter, and Theo would have ripped them apart for it. He doesn't need anyone’s fucking _sympathy_. Even telling Liam about this has him wanting to curl around it, humiliated and furious, wanting to snarl _Get away_. Theo hasn’t asked for help since he was eight years old. Except when he was begging for Scott to save him with Tara’s icy hands clawing at his hips, his waist, and they all know how well that worked.

“Well, we can’t go to my house,” Liam says eventually. 

Theo sags against his truck, sick of this. He scrapes a hand over his face, feeling the rasp of stubble against his palm. It’s been a while since he was last able to shave. “I’m not going to kill your family, Liam,” he says into his hand, lets it fall to his side. “I’m sure we can all live in peace. Throw a football in the front yard, play board games, say a prayer before every meal.”

“Um...is that what you think normal families do?” Liam asks, even more confused than before. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Theo points out. 

“Well, it’s not. And I’m not afraid you’re going to kill my family.” Liam seems remarkably confident for someone who almost died in Scott’s house about fifteen minutes ago. 

“Liam, the choice is: back of my truck, or your nice warm house.” A pretty obvious decision, in Theo’s eyes. Liam’s scent is rapidly veering towards distressed, more than the situation warrants. Theo will be the first to admit he’s not the nicest person, but, jokes aside, even he’s reformed enough not to go all Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Liam’s family. They don’t pose a threat to him, and Liam _saw_ him take Gabe’s pain. Theo’s not a mindless killer anymore, he has something that might resemble a conscience, if you squint. He’s not going to slaughter Liam’s family. “What is this really about?”

Liam looks up sharply at him, like he’s surprised Theo knows what he’s thinking. Theo sighs inwardly. The McCall pack is so, _so_ unaware of what they can do. If they had been able to read chemosignals at all, if they’d had any sort of guidance from someone who grew up in the supernatural world, they wouldn’t have been so easy to trick.

“I…” Liam makes an awkward, aborted movement, like he wants to walk away, settles for pacing inside the apparent parameter of their bond. Theo wonders what the people in the McCall house are thinking; one of them is bound to come out soon. “It’s too obvious. What are they going to think, when you can’t be more than a couple feet away from me?”

_Probably that I’m your boyfriend_ , Theo thinks but doesn’t say. “So just tell them,” he suggests. “Scott told his mom. Explain the bite and this whole bond thing.” He’s seen Liam’s parents, knows he’s a coddled only child. They go to all his games and cheer for him. They’d probably get over it within a couple days, it’s amazing what people can adapt to. 

Liam makes a helpless motion with his hands, his scent souring even further. “I just...I can’t, do that to them. Fuck their lives up again because there’s something _wrong_ with me. First there was my bio dad, then there was-” He cuts himself off right as Theo is becoming interested, his pacing getting faster til he’s stretching the boundaries of the bond, Theo catching him by the arm on the next walkthrough.

“ _Relax_ , Dunbar. We can stay somewhere else.”

"Not your truck,” Liam says, wrinkling his nose as he peers into the backseat like he’s already picturing having to curl up there with Theo.

“Obviously not my truck.” They’d end up actually killing each other within two days.

“You can stay here,” Argent says from _right behind Theo_ , having somehow crept up on two people with supernaturally enhanced senses. Theo, who had whirled around, manages to trip on his own feet for the second time in less than an hour, stumbles into Liam again, who catches and holds him this time, his chest solid against Theo’s back. Theo stews with the indignity of it before wrestling out of Liam’s arms, infuriated that being so close had caused the bond to ping with pure contentment. He brushes himself off, huffing.

Argent’s face isn’t giving anything away as he watches them; neither is his scent. Disdain, probably for Theo, and a sort of gritty resolve. Not that Theo cares, because he is _not_ staying in a house that belongs to the McCall pack, isn’t going to be vulnerable with people he’s tried to kill. 

“ _No_ ,” he says immediately, shaking his head with the vehemence of it, and now it’s Liam who’s pointing out that their only other option is the back of Theo’s truck. It’s starting to seem like the better one. 

“I feel the exact same way, Theo,” Argent says, a snarl beginning to twist his lips up. Liam looks between them, frowning. Theo’s sure he’d be thrilled to stay here, it’d be like having a sleepover with his besties and he’d always have someone to watch his back. “But Scott insists on it.” He wants to keep Theo close, no doubt, especially now that he’s attached to precious baby beta Liam. Considering Theo’s little show in the house, Theo can’t even say he blames him. 

“You’re going to listen to someone who’s not even as old as your daughter should be?” Theo sneers, being an unbelievable asshole and not even really wanting to, he just needs to get out of here and away and he _can’t_ , has to get Argent away so he can breathe. 

“Say anything like that again, and I will put you back in the ground,” Argent is saying, still under control, his hand coming up around Theo’s neck, shoving him back into his truck and Theo almost feels better like this, returned to solid ground as the bad guy. Argent’s fingers flex around his throat, Theo struggling for oxygen on the inhale, his heart pounding and he’ll have bruises for a couple seconds after this, if Argent doesn’t choke him unconscious. Except Liam is choking too, hand flying up to his own throat and Argent lets Theo go immediately, muttering an apology. To Liam, of course. Never Theo. 

Liam’s touching his throat, smudged purple bruises blossoming and then fading within a couple seconds, like he’s rubbing them away with his fingertips. “It’s our best choice,” Liam says, cajoling, and Theo is tired. He’s so fucking tired.

“Fine,” he says, resigning himself to the next however long being a bare step down from Hell. “Let’s live with the McCall pack.”

* * *

Once they’re actually back inside, none of them really bother talking to him, besides Scott. They direct all their questions at Liam while Theo lurks behind him, arms crossed over his chest as they all hover awkwardly in the living room again, Liam throwing himself into an armchair as if he’s already at home here. Alec seems the most nervous, somehow; Theo’s not sure what the pack has told him, but he must seem like some kind of boogeyman, if they’ve been at all honest in their stories. An interloper who came out of nowhere and tore them apart from the inside. He won’t look Theo in the eye and his claws flick out, curving over the arms he has crossed on his chest, if Theo so much as moves. 

He’ll give Liam answers happily enough, though, Liam eventually drawing a laugh from him when he mimes Lydia fighting with Stiles, giving an actually fairly accurate portrayal of her haughty pout. Theo might even have smiled, if he wasn’t so on edge. He can’t convince the animal inside him that there aren’t teeth waiting to go for his throat the moment he lets his guard down. 

Argent has slunk away to plan ways to murder Theo without hurting Liam, probably, and Melissa McCall is talking hurriedly in the kitchen with her son, under her breath like most of the house doesn’t have supernatural senses. “He _killed_ you,” she’s saying, one arm crossed over her chest to hold the other, gripping tight. 

Scott is all earnestness and, “Mom, Liam can’t tell his parents and Theo’s been living in his truck. They need to stay somewhere.” 

“Not here, not with us,” she hisses, and Theo starts planning where else they could go. A motel, maybe? They’d need to raise money somehow, Theo definitely doesn’t have enough to live there long. He idly entertains the thought of making Liam strip for cash, which is ridiculous even as the thought crosses his head, but is also pretty amusing. 

“He helped us with Monroe.” Who’s still out there, a bigger threat to Scott than Theo ever was, really. Theo only wanted the pack; Monroe wants to kill every supernatural creature on the planet, starting with Scott and everything he loves. “He’s changed, Mom. We have to give people a chance,” Scott says with devastating sincerity, Melissa blowing out a breath on a sigh that means Scott’s won before she even speaks. 

“Fine. Only because Liam will always be with him.” Scott beams, takes her by the arms for a quick hug and she lays her head on his shoulder for a second. “When did you become a man, huh?” she murmurs, and Theo can’t take anymore, focuses his hearing on anything else but that. He doesn’t need to hear how much Scott’s mom loves him, he already knows.

Melissa comes back from the kitchen to face them, squaring her shoulders, looking remarkably like Scott just before a fight. “You two can stay here,” she says, pretending they weren’t all listening to that conversation. “Alec’s been living in Isaac’s old room, so you two will have to take the room in the basement. We have a cot down there, and an air mattress.” Both of those sound heavenly to Theo, who hasn’t slept in a bed since he came back from Hell. He’d sleep at the foot of Scott’s bed, at this point. 

“Thank you,” Liam breathes out, relief in his scent, and she squeezes his shoulder, smiling. Theo can’t feel that, so it must be only pain they share. He almost wishes it were different, that he could steal the tenderness people give so easily to Liam. “I have to go home, grab my stuff. Is that okay?” he asks, turning to Theo, who shrugs. What is he going to do, say no? Liam’s scent spikes with anxiety, Theo wrinkling his nose against it. 

“Stop freaking out, it’s fine. Let’s go grab your teddy bear, or whatever,” he says, taking Liam by the arm and steering him out of the McCall house, desperate to have as much time away from the scent of pack-that-isn’t-pack as possible.

“How do you always know what I’m thinking?” Liam asks, stumbling a hair as Theo tugs him down the stairs but regaining his feet enough to peel Theo’s fingers off his arm, brushing the touch away. “You can feel my emotions through the bond, right?” 

“No.” Theo doesn’t feel any different than he did yesterday, anyway. More annoyed, maybe. That can be put down to the forced proximity to Liam.

“But you’ve been pointing out what I’m feeling…” 

“Because I can _smell_ you, Liam, oh my God. If we could share emotions, you would know how often I stop myself from hitting you.”

“Oh. Right.” Liam’s silent getting into Theo’s truck, says finally, “I’m not really good at using my nose yet.” 

“Trust me, I know.”

* * *

He feels kind of awkward and guilty once they’re at Liam’s house, even though he barely _did_ anything to the kid that wasn’t returned tenfold while he was in Hell. Sure, he killed Liam’s girlfriend, and his Alpha, but they both came back. He’s not even going to blame himself for what happened to Mason, because that whole Beast of Gevaudan clusterfuck came out of left field for him, too. And Mason is also fine. 

No harm, no foul, except for the unfamiliar guilt that’s coiling in Theo’s gut as he steps into the threshold of Liam’s house. It smells like Scott’s house, like a happy family. Theo wrinkles his nose and keeps close to Liam’s back, taking comfort from the bond. A woman's voice calls out from further inside,“Liam, is that you?” 

“Just me, mom,” he confirms.

Liam’s stepdad is out but his mom is doing a crossword at the kitchen table, tapping a pencil against her bottom lip as she murmurs clues to herself, ankles crossed. She’s blonder than Liam, built along the same sharp lines but gentler, smiling the moment she sees her son. “Hey, love. I was worried about you, why did you forget the rule?”

“What rule?” Theo asks in spite of himself, drawing her attention as he steps into the room. It’s almost strange having her smile at him, perfectly friendly. She definitely doesn’t know he’s broken Liam’s nose about four times, not to mention the long list of other shit he’s done. 

“Sorry, hi, I’m Jenna Geyer. You must be one of Liam’s friends,” she says, shaking his hand, Theo careful to be gentle with her as Liam glares over her shoulder. It’s not like he was ever some indiscriminate killer, for fuck’s sake. His targets weren’t random. Her fingers feel tiny in his hand; he doesn’t have to remind himself to be careful with her. 

“I’m Theo,” he says, smiling all sweet, holding eye contact, and she’s turning a little pink, which is _hilarious_ mostly for the fact that it makes Liam turn red in response, his scent flaring with temper. “What rule?” Theo asks again, letting her hand go, both of them turning their attention to Liam. 

“Oh, it’s just this little thing I started teaching Liam when he went into high school, so I could keep tabs. I was so nervous! Why don’t you tell him, love.” She’s beaming at Liam now, fond, and Liam’s turning even redder. 

“Um. ‘Send a text, there won’t be stress,’” he grinds through his teeth, which is. A lot for Theo to deal with. 

He bites his lip against a smile, lies, “Right, of course, that makes sense,” and catches Liam’s furious blue eyed stare.

“Whatever. Mom, I’m going to be staying with Scott for the next couple weeks, we’re having a...friend thing...before we all go off to college.” Liam isn’t going much further than upstate, Theo knows from his constant snooping. He’ll be 45 minutes away from Beacon Hills at the most, ready to run back at the first sign of trouble. The whole pack generally intends to stay together, so they won’t really be missing each other, but it’s a good enough lie if Liam wasn’t so obviously guilty, chewing his lip raw and avoiding eye contact with his mom. He shifts from one foot to another, and Theo would’ve called him out on it from the start.

She seems to accept it easily enough, though, and Liam was right, probably; she had relaxed at the first mention of Scott. It’s amazing; for someone with tattoos who rides a motorcycle, Scott seems to be loved and trusted by pretty much everyone. “That’ll be fun, love,” she says. “Is Theo going, too?” 

Theo throws an arm around Liam’s shoulder, tugging him close and ignoring the growl building in Liam’s throat. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

* * *

They’re standing in Liam’s room, which is uncomfortable. There’s something so intimate about being in someone’s room, all the pieces of their lives gathered together. Like seeing a side of Liam that’s too personal for what they are to each other, soul bond aside. Theo doesn’t know Liam like this; he doesn’t _want_ to know Liam like this. Liam’s never going to be worth his time. 

Theo hasn’t been in here before, drowning in Liam’s scent, looking at his trophies and the pictures of him and Mason as they grew up together, Liam’s clothes draped all over and the messy sheets of his bed, the pile of history books on his desk. Theo examines some of the titles while Liam stuffs clothes into a duffel bag, lingering over identical pairs of socks. 

“Were you taking history in school?” he asks, Liam so lost in thought that he jumps, bumping his knee against his bed frame. They wince in unison.

“No, why?” Theo gestures to the pile of books, and Liam smiles. “Oh. Nah. My granddad gave them to me to read.” Theo nods, assuming they’re serving more as unwanted paperweights than anything, until Liam motions to another, bigger pile of books that had been hidden under his lacrosse sweatshirt. “I finished the first ones he gave me.” 

That’s...unexpected, and Theo tips his head as Liam goes back to his clothes, humming under his breath. He’d thought that Liam’s insight at the zoo had been a fluke, a once in a while kind of deal. Now, he’s not so sure. 

“Your mom seems nice,” he offers, genuinely trying not to be an asshole for once, except Liam flares up with yellow eyes, his scent going from relatively calm to furious in a matter of seconds. 

“Do _not_ go near her.” Theo sneers in return, because fuck the McCall pack, is about to say something that would undoubtedly get him punched, bond aside, but Liam shakes his head, frustrated. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I just. I need to take my meds,” he says for like the third time. 

Theo allows the curiosity to show in his face. “Your meds?” 

“I have IED.” As if Theo didn’t know that; he had planned to use Liam’s IED to kill Scott, and nearly succeeded. Even without that information, Liam’s scent is always tinged with low-grade anger, a part of him. 

“But you don’t take meds, they mess with lacrosse.” Liam seems finished with his clothes, sits on his bed with the bag on his lap. It’s straining at the seams, somehow; it’s not like he wears much more than gym clothing. Theo’s knowledge of Liam is extensive, after all the research the Dread Doctors had him do. 

“It’s super creepy that you know that, Theo.” 

“I just care about you, Dunbar,” Theo says, picking up a soccer trophy that, from the date, Liam must have won when he was about six, and turning it over in his hands. The nose on the little fake gold figurine is chipped away. Theo thinks he might’ve had one like it, once, in his old room. There’s only a couple soccer leagues for kids in this town, it’s not unlikely they went to the same one. Theo doesn’t remember any furious little weirdos from his brief time playing soccer, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’d had asthma and Liam’s probably been a jock his whole life. They wouldn’t have run in the same circles. 

“Right. Well, no lacrosse anymore, I decided not to play in college. And I don’t want to be a timebomb,” he says, the last part clearly quoting someone. The upturned curve of his mouth is not quite amusement as he digs out two bottles of pills from his nightstand drawer and swallows a pill from each of them dry, making a face at the taste. “So now I take these.” 

He tosses the pills to Theo, who catches them easily, reads off, “Tegretol and Luvox...But Tegretol is for seizures?” 

Liam’s giving him a quizzical look as Theo tosses the bottles back, and then he’s cramming the bottles into his bag as he says, “How do you...Right. Of course you’d know.” Theo shrugs, keeps examining the minutiae of Liam’s room, the evidence of a life someone actually lived. With the Dread Doctors, he slept wherever. Alcoves, a cot on the floor, empty exam tables. They kept him comfortable and no more, didn’t give him any space to call his own. His empty excuse of a room that he was using when he first came back here would never have passed muster, he sees that now. He could never even succeed at pretending to be a real person. “They can be used for IED, too.” 

“As long as they keep you calm, I won’t have to kill you,” Theo says idly, touching a finger to one of the medals hanging from Liam’s bookshelf, sending it swinging. 

“But killing me would kill you.”

He turns to where Liam’s back on his feet, back in familiar territory; pissed off at Theo. He grins. “We don’t know that for sure, though, do we?” Liam’s assuredly nasty reply is cut off by a huge yawn, and Theo matches it. He had forgotten how tired he was, with all this going on, is almost embarrassed at Liam catching him being human. “Don’t worry about it, I can always kill you later, in your sleep.” 

Normally, this would earn him a broken nose. Considering their recent circumstances, all he receives is an angry look from Liam, who heaves his bag over his shoulder, staggering a little under the weight, and grabs a tome on the history of the ancient world off his desk. “Fuck you, Theo.” 

Theo only laughs as he’s forcefully tugged after Liam, downstairs to the kitchen where Liam gives a predictably soppy goodbye to his mom, her squeezing him tight and reminding him to come back quick, so they can spend as much time together as a family before Liam goes away to school. She smells so strongly of contentment just being near him, and Theo wonders how that feels, to be cherished. He forces the placid smile to stay on his face even as she kisses Liam’s cheek and pushes him away a little, gently. “Go. Have fun with your friends. Be safe, though!” 

“I’m always safe,” Liam says, which, considering he can’t drink or do drugs, and he’s been single since Hayden left, isn’t too far from the truth. Except for Monroe, who’s still out there and definitely looking for a way back into Beacon Hills. And the endless ranks of hunters who want to eradicate every supernatural creature on the planet. And Theo himself, of course. 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Geyer, I’ll take great care of him.” Theo hopes that the pain Liam feels from elbowing him _hard_ in the ribs is worth it.

* * *

They’re halfway down the pathway when Liam’s mom comes springing out the door, hurrying down the steps and Theo wonders if Liam forgot something, like his freshly ironed undies or whatever, but she’s not carrying anything and she seems upset. “Um, Liam, could I talk to you for a second? Alone. It’s about...bills.” Theo’s amused to see that the inability to lie seems to be genetic, bows himself gracefully out of the conversation and walks as far away as the bond will let him without pain, Liam inching back a step so Theo can pretend to be invested in the glove compartment of his car.

He’s desperately curious about their conversation, keeps an ear out as he fishes through his glove compartment, finds napkins, the insurance card that's under the name of someone who never existed, a bottle of lube he had forgotten about. And a single crow feather. He shudders, crumbles it to pieces between his fingers.

“Is that Theo _Raeken?_ ”

Theo feels his body tense, hides it by leaning further into his car, neck prickling. “Um, yeah. He used to be friends with Scott, and now he’s back,” Liam tells her, dropping his bag to the ground with a soft thump. 

“I remembered him from the news. Oh, love, you know what happened to his sister. Be kind to him, okay?” There’s such honest sorrow in her voice that Theo has to close his eyes against it, opens them and there’s Tara, sitting in the passenger seat just inches away from him, swinging her legs, the broken one flopping horribly. Water stains the seat. She grins. She’s so small, was only eight when she died and she had seemed huge to him, his older sister. Unstoppable, which he supposes she still is. He can feel her heart pounding in his chest, recognizing its rightful owner.

“Right,” Liam is saying, voice choked. Theo’s claws cut into his palms, grounding him, Liam yelping a moment later as Tara disappears and blood sprouts between Theo’s fingers. “Uh, anyway, gotta go, love you!” Liam is at his back a moment later, shaking the blood cupped into his palm onto the ground, the wounds already healed. “What the hell was that, Theo?” he hisses instead of yelling for the benefit of his mom, who’s still waving at them from the porch steps, her smile sympathetic. 

Theo gives her a sort of awkward two finger salute. “Nothing.” 

Hauling himself up into the seat where Tara just was, Theo stepping away, Liam frowns down at him. The seat isn’t wet for real, then. Liam would have noticed. Theo takes his bag and throws it into the back, hearing the solid thump it makes, rounds the front of his truck to get in the driver's seat. “You can’t just randomly hurt yourself, my mom could’ve noticed.” 

“She’d just kiss your booboos better, Liam, so shut the fuck up.” 

Liam opens his mouth, closes it, and if he says something stupid Theo is going to crash this truck and kill them both, is half-afraid that he’s going to start seeing Tara out of the corner of his eye instead of Liam’s grumpy face. There’s blood still on his hands, sticky between his fingers, and Theo fully appreciates the irony of the situation. 

“Theo...are you okay?” Liam’s voice is low, careful, the kind of tone you take when talking to a scared animal. Theo’s hands tighten on the wheel, fangs pricking the inside of his lip. 

“I’m fucking fine, Liam, besides the fact that I’m soul bonded to an idiot like you.”

That seems to snap Liam out of any kindness he was willing to show. He huffs. “Because it’s _so_ great being forcibly linked to a murderer.” There’s a blessed moment of silence before he mutters, “I should’ve sent you back,” and Theo’s hands are trembling, bile in his throat that he swallows down as Tara’s heart picks up speed. He _hates_ the McCall pack, hates the power they hold over him, hates their sanctimonious ‘save everyone’ bullshit and most of all he hates _Liam_.

“It might be better than being with you,” he responds, and he’s almost serious.

* * *

It’s mid-afternoon when they get back to the McCall pack, Theo still shaky with anger and Liam simmering. Alec greets them at the door, heart picking up. His eyes are flickering yellow, out of control, and Liam puts a hand on his arm, anger forgotten. “Hey, dude, relax. Focus. It took me a long time to get control, when I was bitten.”

He gives Alec an encouraging smile that Alec returns, standing a little straighter, saying, “Melissa put your stuff downstairs. She’s grocery shopping and Scott’s at Malia’s, she told me to tell you that if you guys need anything, you can text her and she’ll buy it.”

As if Theo will ever be given the privilege of having her number. “You mean...they’re feeding me?” Theo, who had privately been freaking out some over not being able to go to work, is surprised by this.

Two pairs of baffled eyes turn in his direction. “What else would they do?” 

Theo doesn’t have a good answer for that, and he doesn’t want to admit he expected to starve, so he just smirks and heads downstairs, Liam forced to follow after him as Alec trails behind. “Um, she blew up the air mattress, and there are more blankets in the closet if you get cold. Plus, you guys have your own, um, bathroom,” Alec says. Theo wonders if Alec is naturally this nervous or if it’s just the result of suddenly being thrown into the world of the supernatural. 

“That’s great, Alec, thanks. We’re going to sleep for a bit.”

Alec takes the hint as it was meant and heads upstairs, brushing against Liam as he walks past, trading the pack scent. The reek of it will never come out of Theo’s nose. 

“That seems uncomfortable,” Theo says once he’s gone, looking down at the rather pathetic air mattress. The cot seems a bit better, even though both of them are squeezed into the cramped basement, getting weak light from the single window. A four star hotel, this place is not.

“It does,” Liam agrees, crouching to press down on it; it sinks under his fingers. “Erica accidentally ripped it apart one night when they were all sleeping over, and it was never patched up quite right.” 

“Who’s Erica?” 

Liam’s scent tinges with a scent even Theo isn’t sure of. Not quite grief, but close. “She was a member of the pack a long time ago. She died. Scott told me about her.” Theo knows very little about the pack-before-Liam, before the members that he needed to know about. He wonders how many people they’ve lost. Liam is thoughtful, fingers still pressing into the air mattress. The light coming in through the window highlights his face in shadow, showcasing his mouth and the point of his nose.

“We should switch once a week,” Theo says to cover the weird mood between them, throwing himself onto the cot to claim it first. 

Distracted, Liam gags overdramatically. “And sleep on something that smells like you? I’ll pass.” 

Theo looks around the tiny basement, underground where scents seem to linger. “Liam, in here, everything’s going to smell like me.” With a groan, Liam acquiesces.

* * *

Theo falls asleep almost the moment his head touches the pillow, sleeps without any nightmares and wakes up a couple hours later to the smell of someone cooking a meal with peppers and garlic upstairs, Argent mentioning that he needs to gather everyone for dinner, which presumably includes Theo. 

All of which would be great, if Theo hadn’t, in his sleep, managed to wrap his hand around Liam’s wrist, fingers curled underneath to protect the vein, thumb trailing over the smooth skin on the back of his hand. He can feel the pulse of Liam’s heartbeat.

For a moment, he’s frozen, and then he yanks his hand back, screaming to himself. Liam frowns in his sleep before his face smooths out again. Theo rubs his hand clean against his sweats, and doesn’t look at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i got any of the ied stuff like drastically wrong, just let me know (politely!!!) and i'll fix it.


	3. u know what they say...the way to a man's heart is through his stomach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was much kinder to theo in this one, because i do actually want him to, like, end up happy and in love haha....i wrote this before i finished the end part. sorry guys
> 
> also just to clarify, this isn't a soulmate bond, their souls are bonded together, which is different, i promise! the pack would be freaking out wayyyyyy more if they were soulmates omg (they are soulmates tho. they are)  
> i'm just warning you guys-i was on the tw wiki, and i realized that theo killed tara when she was eight, and she was his older sister, which means that, at the OLDEST, theo was seven. and that changes a whollllle lot about his character for me. i'm not going to woobify him, but i do have more sympathy (also wtf teen wolf, make some sense) BUT theo said he knew scott/stiles when he was nine so...what's the truth? do we know? do we really know?? i'm gonna say that Theo stayed in town for a year til the dread doctors came and got him, idk. fuck i really hope you guys read my notes
> 
> this is relevant-irish twins are children born within one year of each other. i'm irish american idk if other people use this

It goes fine for about a day, Liam and Theo carefully stepping around each other, feeling out the edges of the bond. Liam seems happy enough to hang out with Scott and Alec when they’re home, or to pester an amused Argent with questions about which monsters are real, and which truly are only myths. Theo could’ve told him, not that he wants to. He reads, mostly, or sits around while Liam talks to people who actually like him. 

Theo _is_ enjoying the sensation of having actual food to eat; before all this, the Dread Doctors had kept him on a kind of nutritional paste, or he ate cafeteria food at one of the many schools he went to. Culinary expertise wasn’t high on their list of skills to teach him; Theo hasn’t so much as eaten at a restaurant since he left his family. 

Which leads him to be less than prepared when Melissa McCall, after explaining at length the chores she expects the two of them to keep up on, asks Theo to warm up the oven so she can start cooking for the pack meeting. “Just don’t burn the house down, okay?” she says, hurried but not concerned. Theo nods; he’s seen people on TV do chores and stuff, it can’t be that hard. 

He’s lived in houses that have ovens before, vaguely remembers his mom turning dials, but doesn’t realize he has no true idea what to do until she’s gone and even Liam is chatting with Alec in the living room, the house small enough that they can be apart without hurting. They spent all of today testing it, whether Liam can sit out back in the garden, if they can be separated by floors, and by the end of it Theo was nearing panic from how bad Tara’s heart hurt, began to wonder whether this bond thing could actually rip it from his chest. 

He chews on the inside of his lip, stewing. He doesn’t mind doing chores, because he’s not _that_ much of an asshole and he understands how much hassle the McCall family is going through, taking in three boys, one of them being Theo. He hears Argent received some kind of valuable hunter inheritance from his father, which makes things easier, but four boys, all of them with supernatural metabolisms, is a lot to deal with. He had just expected these chores to be more like cleaning, not something complicated. Theo hasn’t baked anything more complicated than microwavable mac n cheese in his life.

Turns out it’s relatively simple, though, to press _Bake_ and grin, satisfied, when he hears the heat click on. He heads back to the living room where Liam, Scott, Alec, Corey, and Mason are hanging out, Mason and Corey curled together on the loveseat, Liam in his usual armchair that Theo situates himself behind, leaning his arms on the back, scanning the room. Mason’s eying him, bold as usual; the kid has no fear despite what Theo’s done to them all. 

Theo can still remember being in the tunnels and trying to take Mason’s pain, the aching shame he’d felt when nothing happened and Mason had looked at him like he was barely human. “You have to care, Theo,” he’d said, and Theo had visibly stopped himself from flinching. He _does_ care. Sometimes. He thinks. 

Right now, in Scott’s living room, he crosses his arms over his chest and holds Mason’s gaze while Liam explains what happened. “So, yeah, we woke up in Theo’s truck, and now we can’t be far away from each other. And we share pain,” Liam says, thankfully not mentioning Theo being homeless or the weird encounter with Liam’s mother or how Theo had startled awake whimpering from nightmares, Liam rolling over to sleepily ask if Theo was okay. Theo hadn’t answered, had lain frozen in the dark until Liam’s soft snores picked up again. 

“How do you know it’s not some trick?” Mason asks, and Theo has the uncomfortable prickling realization that Mason is a mix of Stiles and Lydia, that he’s smart enough to guide the pack while they’re away at college, taking summer programs of all things. Mason’s the one who makes the plans now, and he’s leaning forward, elbows on his knees, to rest his chin on his linked fingers. Theo feels very...assessed. 

“Because I would rather cut off my own foot then spend this much time with Liam?” 

Liam lets out an affronted noise but doesn’t disagree; there had been a quick standoff in the bathroom at three in the morning when they’d both had to pee at the same time and Theo had accidentally scared Liam into a mouthful of fangs. They hadn’t been hurt, since even half-awake Theo is fast enough to dodge him, but it was a close thing. 

He can only hope Deaton comes up with a solution soon, really doesn’t want to have to face the older members of the pack while he’s attached to precious baby Liam. The only other one still in Beacon Hills is Malia. She’s with Peter, since he’s apparently trying to be a father now, so she isn’t at this specific meeting, which will probably make things easier. Less violent, anyway.

He’s scared of her, after she almost killed him when he came back. Which was completely understandable, and he doesn’t even blame her, but he’s still scared. Malia is the wild card of the pack, and she’s a lot less hesitant to kill than Scott is. Which was great, when he was trying to get her in his pack, but not so great when she was straddling him and smashing his cheekbones into his skull. He scratches lightly where Tara’s heart beats safely away, calming himself. Malia wouldn’t kill him anymore, not if it hurts Liam.

“You tried to kill all of us. Am I the only one who remembers that?" Not true: he only wanted to kill Scott. Which he _didn't_. Liam is nodding, having never forgotten Theo’s past crimes, Scott is thoughtful, or maybe just spacing out, and Alec looks uncomfortable, studying the floor like it’s going to reveal a secret. This isn’t his battle. 

Corey, though, Corey is watching Theo, tracking over Liam sulking in his chair and Theo close enough to touch. “I don’t know…” he says quietly. “He’s not the same guy who wanted to be my Alpha.” Corey rarely speaks, still preferring to shadow Mason, and Theo would feel bad for, like, ruining the guy’s psyche if he wasn’t like that before Theo ever came around. The pack turns to him as one, Scott smiling encouragingly. Corey shifts under their gaze, clears his throat. Even Theo is curious about his next words. “He’s not a psychotic asshole anymore.”

Why does that make Theo feel all warm and fuzzy, having to bite back his smile. It’s nice that some people recognize his progress. “Thanks for the glowing commendation,” he mutters, nodding at Corey, and it’s not like this meeting is going anywhere after that; what are they going to do, kick him out? They can’t, not when Liam’s attached to him. This meeting is really just to break the bad news, and so the pack can all get together and bond some more, as if they need to. 

Bored, Theo ambles back to the kitchen, examines the space while the rest of the pack can’t see that he’s openly curious. Chances are good that he’s stuck here for a while, he might as well get familiar. The McCall pack has welcomed him with surprisingly open arms, considering. He’s already eaten three meals here; dinner last night, breakfast and lunch today. Getting real food has been _life-changing_. Theo loves eating something that doesn’t squeal and squirm as he chews, or isn’t two days stale. He’d actually smiled at Alec when he asked for the ketchup at lunch, that’s how good he feels.

The McCall house has clearly had to grow into harboring half a werewolf pack; six of the chairs in the dining room are a matched set, then there are two that are a fluorescent pink and another that’s just a fold-out chair, all smelling of having previously belonged to other people. A lot of second-hand furniture in this house, to fit the pack in as it grew. Traces of mountain ash and Argent’s wolfsbane. 

There are mysterious dents and stains from accidents and spills over the years, layers of scent from different meals that Theo could probably parse out, if he wanted to. Except it also smells like burnt plastic, acrid and making his nostrils flare until he locates the scent coming from the oven and just _stares_ , feeling an almost ludicrous amount of dread crawl up from his stomach, swaying to the side as Melissa McCall pushes past him and throws on a pair of oven mitts, waving her hand in front of her face as she removes a warped plastic tray from inside the oven. “What the...You didn’t even bother emptying the oven? And…” She runs the tray under the water at the sink, although even Theo can see it’s ruined, sets it aside and turns to him with one hand on her hip. “You didn’t set the temperature?” 

She’s glaring at him like he’s done bad, like he’s done exactly what she expected which is _unfair_ , Theo would do something way worse than melting a tray if he wanted to hurt her family. Which he _doesn’t_. Anymore. He bristles. “How was I supposed to know, I’ve never…” He gestures around the room, trying to encompass how much he’s missed, and she steps back, her scent spiking with nerves. It doesn’t show on her face, not after all she’s been through, but now he’s scared her, which. Great. An excellent way to charm the person who controls his food and housing. He draws his hand back to his chest, making his body smaller. It’s hard not to resemble a threat when he _is_ one. “I can’t remember what it’s like to live with people,” he admits finally, setting his jaw. The Dread Doctors had needed a weapon, not a human being. 

Her face softens with something like sympathy. “Okay, um, Theo, it’s just a tray, yeah? I can get three more of them at Walmart by tomorrow. And this house is used to disasters, trust me. More from Stiles than anything else, if we’re honest.” The joke is weak, but the intent behind it is pure, meant to relax him. She’s more like her son than she probably knows. He gives her a hesitant smile. He’s not...He’s trying, okay? It’s easier when people are kind to him. “Look, here, this is how you set something to bake,” she says, motioning for him to observe, Theo careful not to be within striking distance as she turns a knob and sets it to 400 degrees. “From now on, check inside before you turn the oven on. I usually store a couple trays in there, most people do.”

The sour note of fear in her scent has faded, replaced by the sunshine smell she shares with Scott. It’s nice. “Thanks,” he says softly. She smiles.

* * *

Theo has to endure more excruciating time sitting with the pack as the food bakes. It’s very clear that they all have little to say to each other when Theo is sitting there. Mason will open his mouth, only to glance at Theo and be quiet, or Scott will say something and be met with silence, Alec’s heartbeat ratcheting up a notch. Theo would be long gone if he could be, he definitely doesn’t want to hang with a group of people who openly admit they hate him. 

When the meal is finally, blessedly ready, they all sit at the table, feasting on spaghetti and meatballs, something Melissa comments is cheap and easy as she sets bowls down on the table, directs Scott to get them all water. Liam had to set the table, she seems very concerned about fairness. Even Argent joins them, sat across from Theo and smiling thinly every time they lock eyes. Theo can pretty much read his thoughts. _Get comfortable, kid, because soon as the bond is broken, I’m coming for you._ As if Theo’s going to stick around once this is over. He’ll be in the next state before Argent can so much as load his rifle.

Theo ignores him, digs in with gusto even though Liam whines about having a burned tongue because Theo doesn’t wait for his food to cool off, just relies on his body healing. There’s garlic bread, which is a fantastic new experience for Theo. He doesn’t think he’s ever had garlic bread before, not like this. It doesn’t come out of a dumpster.

“You eat like you’re starving,” Mason comments, a little awed, and Theo makes a concerted effort to slow down, to not eat like he’s spent the last couple months living off scavenged fast food and whatever animal he can catch. 

Corey is watching him again, too, musing over something, and finally says, “You know, when we lived together, all we ate was fast food.”

Which Theo would rather not talk about, _ever_ , and he goggles at Corey before recovering, snaps, “Were you expecting a four course meal?”

He doesn’t want to talk about that time, about Corey, or Hayden, or especially Josh and Tracy and the hours he spent with them, learning their habits, what made them laugh. Josh talked constantly about the tattoos he wanted, Tracy had a Gameboy she played when she was bored. It’s likely to still be down in the tunnels somewhere, and Josh never got those tattoos. Theo hadn’t killed anyone before, not like that. Up close. They had been so warm inside, the tips of Theo’s fingers sinking in as well and they were soaked when he pulled them back, pieces of Josh’s gut twisted under his claws. He’d washed his hands so many times that night, frantic, locked in that need for power that was stronger then everything while the slick of blood never left his hands. 

Theo swallows, suddenly nauseous, and Liam puts a hand to his own stomach. “ _This-is-really-good-Melissa-thanks_ ,” he says all in a rush, distracting them from a grateful Theo, who’s able to settle into his meal.

* * *

Theo offers to do the dishes after, because that’s something he actually knows how to do, is simple enough even for him. He finds it soothing, actually, letting his mind drift as soap bubbles up onto his hands, eavesdropping on the pack. 

Melissa heads upstairs to get ready for her night shift and Argent flips through a book in their bedroom, both of them chatting softly, affectionately about nothing much, Argent occasionally letting out a chuckle that is completely incongruous with the man Theo knows. He can only imagine Argent laughing during, like, the moment of victory over his slain nemesis. Not at Melissa’s sly jokes about her new grey hairs and the cause of them.Theo’s distracted enough by the thought of Argent actually expressing joy that he sprays himself with water, sticking his shirt to his skin, the sensation uncomfortable.

Theo doesn’t like being wet, he never has, so he chooses to pull his shirt over his head, rubs the dry part across his stomach, and tucks it in the back of the jeans he’s wearing to throw in the laundry later.

“Holy shit.” Mason is framed in the doorway, gripping a dirty plate as he stares, eyes focused in the vicinity of Theo’s chest. His heartbeat kicks into gear. “I thought you said you eat mostly fast food?” 

He said no such thing, Corey only implied it, albeit correctly. Theo would normally get cocky, isn’t sure footed enough around Mason to make a joke or turn a flirtation to his advantage. Also, he’s pretty sure Corey’s the only person who’s vaguely in his corner, and he doesn’t want to ruin that. “Yeah, I do, pretty much.” Fast food and animals trapped under his paws, never quite worth the effort it takes to chase them down.

“And your body looks like _that?_ ” Mason blurts before his scent floods with embarrassment. Theo bites his lip around a smile, Mason relaxing the barest of inches as he comes over to drop his plate with the dirty dishes Theo still has left. “Sorry, I don’t mean...don’t get weird about it.”

“Everyone thinks I’m hot, Mason,” Theo says, because he has one thing he can be confident in. He can literally hear and smell people’s reactions to him. 

“Yeah, but I’m, like, you know.” Mason indicates himself after that completely nonsensical statement, Theo taking his time to rinse a dish and put it aside, wincing when Liam does something that sends a shock of pain radiating through his arm. Fucking clumsy idiot.

“Human?” 

Mason is giving him a look, of _You can’t be serious_.

“ _Gay_.”

Theo wonders how much of that has been a problem in the past if Mason’s reacting like this, considers the old scars on Liam’s knuckles in a new light. “I’m not a hypocrite,” is all he says, turning away so he can’t see Mason’s face, focusing on a really ingrained piece of noodle. 

There’s a pause, then the smell of surprise, Mason sucking in a breath. “Wait, are you-Is that-” 

“My sordid confession, yes.” Theo’s never taken the time to be worried about it; he has far bigger things to be ashamed about. Bisexuality is a non-issue. “Now you can leave Corey so we can ride off into the sunset together.” 

“I wouldn’t- _What?_ I would _never_ -” Mason’s always been quick on the uptake, only takes a moment before he seems to understand and huffs a laugh. “Jesus, Theo.” Theo isn’t familiar with this new scent on Mason, takes a moment to categorize it as akin to affection which, considering Mason’s angry words earlier, must mean that Theo’s bare chest has an even bigger impact than he thought, or something. Mason lets out another chuckle, raps his knuckles once against the counter, and heads back to Corey.

* * *

“Ah, great, another ripped, shirtless teenager in my kitchen,” Melissa says, long-suffering, when she comes downstairs, maneuvers around Theo to get her lunch from the fridge. Tomatoes, gluten, mixed together so his mouth waters. A couple sugar cookies; she likes to spoil herself. 

“That smells really good,” he says, glancing at her from the corner of his eye; she’s in scrubs already, hair twisted in a bun at the back of her head.

She hasn’t changed much since he was a little kid, if his memory is at all clear. Always the nicest of his friend’s moms. He wonders if she remembers him. 

Theo finishes washing the last bowl and puts it aside, unsure what to do now. He can’t go downstairs, the bond won’t stretch that far, and he sure as fuck doesn’t want to go to the living room where he can hear people talking, Alec actually snort laughing at Liam’s antics. Being around happy people isn’t something he’s good at. 

She looks from her lunch bag to him, shaking it a little. “Thanks, it’s sun-dried tomato pasta.” 

Theo grabs a towel that’s hanging from the oven, figures he might as well start drying the dishes while he’s here. “I’ve never had it.” 

She’s distracted, talking under her breath to make sure she has everything for work, fishes her coat out from the alcove near the door as she says, “Well, what _have_ you had? I can make it sometime.”

Theo’s breath catches in his chest which is the most embarrassing thing, ever, and he will claw his own throat out before he lets her see it. “Oh, uh, chocolate milk? Chicken nuggets?”

The baffled stare she turns on him has Theo flushing. “Are you ten years old? That’s not real food.” _Otherwise it was mostly nutritional paste that tasted like glue_ , Theo doesn’t say, fairly sure that if he does, she’s going to actually pity him, and he’ll kill her, and then Scott will kill him, and then Liam will probably die, too. Which is the only good part. He shrugs instead, feeling his shoulders creep up to his ears, and dries a fork really, really well. He can smell her hesitance as she comes to stand behind him, peers at his steadily accumulating pile of dishes. “You’re doing a great job with those dishes, by the way.” 

“It’s not difficult,” he snaps, and she sighs.

“Some things are, though, huh?” What the hell is that supposed to mean? Again, Theo doesn’t have an answer, wants her to _leave_ so he can be miserable in peace, but she’s picking up a knife, Theo instinctively cringing away. “You’re actually, somehow, jumpier than Isaac,” she tells him, as if that means anything to Theo, who keeps a careful watch on her hands. A butterknife won’t kill him, he knows from experience, but it’ll hurt and this woman has every right in the world to want him harmed. All she does is begin putting things away, jiggling the silverware drawer open, practised and used to her home. “Why don’t I make you a deal?” 

“I’m listening.” He’s curious more than anything, about what she has to offer. She’s already taken him in and given him food, there isn’t much more she can do for him. 

“You keep helping around the house, and stop flinching when I look at you, and I’ll teach you how to cook. It would be nice to have someone else make dinner.”

“Why would you do that? You hate me,” he says flatly. “I killed your son.” 

Her lips tighten, and Theo regrets his words. “Trust me. I know.” 

“So why-” A burst of laughter erupts from the other room and Theo jumps, _again_ , almost slices his hand open on a potato peeler. Not an injury he wants to explain to Liam. 

“How old were you when the Dread Doctors got you?” Theo stares at her, glad she’s not a wolf because his chemosignals are undoubtedly everywhere, revealing him.

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” 

“I was talking to Scott last night.” Oh, he’s sure she was, probably trying to convince her son that Theo should leave, is too much of a danger to have in her happy home. His lips pull back from his teeth. She doesn’t seem concerned this time, leans back against the oven with her arms over her chest, waiting. 

“It’s none of your business, but I was seven.” And three-quarters, his birthday coming up soon. He was close enough in age to Tara that they would be briefly the same age until her birthday the next month. _Irish twins_ , his mother would say, and Theo was always _so_ excited to be the same age as Tara for a bit. The Dread Doctors had waited a year after she died to actually take Theo, had left him in a house with his mother’s depression and his father steadily drinking himself to death, allowed the consequences of Tara’s death to sink in. By the time they came for him, Theo was grateful to leave, ready to do whatever they wanted.

“Exactly,” she says, as if that makes any sense. “We’ll start day after tomorrow?” She doesn’t wait for his answer, picks up her bag and leaves with a kiss from Scott and the pack’s friendly goodbyes.

Theo doesn’t know what to do now that she’s gone, alone in the kitchen with the dishes done. It doesn’t seem like the pack is going to leave any time soon, and Theo clasps his hands around the edge of the counter, braces his arms there. His head hangs. He takes a deep, grounding breath, finally lifting his head to look through the window over the sink, stomach turning over.

Tara looks back at him, hair slicked to her head, dripping onto the white nightdress she liked best and she’d been so _excited_ that night; they played in the woods all the time, she felt safe there, and Theo had promised he had something cool to show her. He was always a good liar. She’d thought it was a bug, she wanted to be an entomologist when she grew up while Theo was still focused on being a racecar driver. He’d braced his hands on her back, felt the heat of her through the thin cotton. Not enough to wear on a cold night, but he’d promised it would be fast. She had let out a gasp, startled, caught in her throat and he’d _shoved_ before she could react. She was so tiny, smaller than him even with the age difference. It _was_ fast, after that.

Tara glowers at him through the window, there and gone in a second, enough that Theo can’t hold back his terrified intake of breath. One would think he’d be used to it by now. 

“Theo?” 

He jumps, claws scratching against the sink-he hadn’t even noticed they were out-and turns to Liam, framed in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Liam smells sweeter than usual, his eyes flicking to Theo’s chest then away. 

“What?” He’s had more than enough bonding in the McCall kitchen for one night, shakes off the shift that’s aching to crawl from under his skin. “Do you need something?”

“You smell…” Liam chews at his thumbnail, thinking. Must be hard for him. “You don’t smell right.” 

“Like you would know anything about that.” 

“I’m just trying to be nice,” Liam says, petulant, his blue eyes all wide and hurt. They might work, on people who are weaker than Theo.

“Whatever. I’m going to bed.” He has no chores, no truck to hide in a place where the cops don’t go, no need to find food. Nothing stretching before him in the long, long expanse of spending every waking moment with Liam and his pack of merry idiots. Not even a job, which will be great, after all this is done and he’s excluded from the McCall pack again. Theo can practically feel his meager savings dwindling already. He’d had a hard enough time convincing his boss to hire a kid with no evidence of his own existence. The guy will never take him back now. 

“But I’m not tired.” The distance from the living room to the basement is too far for Liam to stay up here, something Theo is pettily aware of. If he has to suffer, Liam has to suffer. 

“Yeah, well, not everything is about you.” 

“But my pack is here,” Liam’s complaining, coming further into the kitchen, into Theo’s space and the bond pings with comfort, only making Theo angry. He’s already forced to be around Liam, why does he also have to be forced to _want_ him around? 

“They’re not my pack,” he says, squaring his shoulders, using the approximate two inches of height he has on Liam to glare down his nose at him. Liam has to tilt his head back a hair, which is satisfying. 

“Right, because you don’t have one, because everyone _hates you_ ,” and Theo can smell the cinnamon candy smell of Liam’s anger rising, wonders how effective the medication will be at keeping it down. Will Liam attack him, ignoring the repercussions? 

“Don’t care. You can have a slumber party with your besties some other time, Dunbar.” 

“You’re such a _dick!_ ” Liam yells, the easy chatter stopping in the other room, Liam stepping into his space, and Theo puts a hand flat on his chest, claws curving out until the tip of the middle one rests in the hollow of Liam’s throat. He taps there once, smirking. Liam’s breath hitches.

“Careful. I know how riled up you get, timebomb.” Theo never forgets a moment of weakness, remembers the upset stutter of Liam’s heartbeat in his room the other day when he called himself a timebomb and so he should probably be expecting, and definitely deserves, Liam’s fist smashing into his nose, a bright light erupting behind Theo’s eyes as the pain makes him slump back into the sink, Theo groaning, “ _Fuck_ ,” through his now bloody teeth. Liam also staggers back, touching his own nose and it’s frightening to see it break on its own, blood immediately spurting down to Liam’s chin as Theo realizes that his knuckles are also sore, to match. “You fucking _dumbass_.” 

“Worth it,” Liam spits, blood trickling onto the floor when he wipes at his nose. He looks ridiculous like this, his pretty face all swollen and bruises sprouting under his eyes. Theo steadies himself while Liam touches his nose, lightly, his brow furrowing. “Why isn’t it healing?” Looks like the bond chooses to hand out the shit end of the stick. Liam is only going to heal when Theo does. Good. 

“It will, it just takes longer. You have chimera healing now, congrats,” Theo mumbles, wetting a paper towel next to the sink and beginning to clean his face off, getting sick satisfaction out of rubbing so hard that Liam winces, too. His nose has already snapped back into place, and so has Theo’s, his breath coming easy again. Meaning that the scent of the McCall pack has returned, Theo cringing against it. _Not right not right_ the animal in his head whines.

“Guys, come on,” Scott sighs, stepping into the room with a yellow eyed Alec at his back. “It’s almost midnight.” That means nothing, Theo is glad to fight Liam at any time of day. 

Scott puts a hand on Liam’s shoulder, tips his head up to examine the damage, of which there isn’t any, makes as if to do the same for Theo, who bares his fangs. “Don’t touch me.” Anyone who tries to be that gentle with Theo is going to fucking die, he doesn’t need help.

“You guys can’t be having fights in the middle of my kitchen,” Scott is saying, annoyed, Liam falling naturally into place at his right hand so they’re all facing Theo, frowning. “What was this about?” 

Liam seems about to explain, the little ass kisser, until Theo snarls, “Fuck you, I’m going to bed,” and drags them both downstairs, ignoring the pack’s protests and Liam’s attempts to struggle against the bond, wrenching at Tara’s heart. He can’t get free without actually hurting Theo, and thus hurting himself, so it’s a futile effort even if werewolves are stronger, Theo’s hands tight around the thin bones of Liam’s wrists.

“Theo...come on.” Mason seems almost disappointed, standing helplessly in the living room, when Theo slams the door in his face. Them having some kind of moment earlier means very little right now. 

Liam is left in the middle of their room, clenching and unclenching his clawed fists, seems to have learned from punching Theo the last time because he only scowls while Theo leisurely brushes his teeth, changes into boxers and a t-shirt. Liam can see him naked or not, Theo doesn’t care. Predictably, Liam looks away. 

Theo takes the air mattress, stretches out and idly watches Liam, at eye level with his legs. He has nice ankles, for someone who looks like they want to stomp Theo to death. 

“I would rather,” Liam says shakily, facing away from Theo like he can’t bear to look at him, the little drama queen, “be attached to Brett, than to you.”

Theo rolls to his back, knows Liam’s fangs are beginning to dig into his mouth because his own mouth hurts, too. “Brett...you mean the kid who pelted you with lacrosse balls and locked you in a cage?” 

“ _Yes_.”

Theo whistles. “Damn, you must really hate me.” There’s a subvocal growl building in Liam’s throat that he’s evidently fighting against. Theo almost, _almost_ feels bad about the teary frustration he doesn’t need scent to read as Liam gets himself back under control, storms into the bathroom and slams the door closed on the hinges. They creak ominously.

Theo waits for him to come out, realizes a couple minutes later as he hears the shifting of clothes against tile that Liam intends to sleep there, in the tub. It stretches the bond more than he would like, but it’s bearable. He pretends he can’t hear Liam crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> intimacy and showing of care through food...my kink...i feel like theo would be hyper competent at some things, such as fighting and manipulating people and science, but not good at others, like feeding himself and being a person
> 
> theo makes some progress :) and then immediately backslides :(
> 
> i had liam cry because we see it happen in canon and tbh i would cry too if i was attached to my biggest enemy (unless it was my high school bully who was actually kinda hot :/)  
> i'm finally settling into this story, realizing what i want to do with it, definitely haven't been posting so much because i'm avoiding my responsibilities.... 😁 <\---omg just learned my keyboard has emojis this changes EVERYTHING


	4. it's not gay if you say no homo, and if you're both werewolves masturbating through a soulbond at 3 in the morning. right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn look at me go. everyone say 'thank you' to my grad school for having this be finals week, thus giving me an excellent reason to procrastinate. 
> 
> i was a LOT nicer to liam in this one, you're welcome guys.
> 
> it goes a little off the rails at times, not sure i'm totally thrilled with this one but. it's written.
> 
> the fic gets kinda horny at this point, but it shouldn't get much more explicit than this so i'm not changing the rating :)

He wakes up before Liam, he always does, goes to check up on him because the bond feels strained. It aches, distant but unavoidable. 

Liam’s out for the count, curled on his side in the tub, even his little body squished uncomfortably. His foot twitches, doglike. One hand is curled over the rim, fingers lax, Theo remembering his thoughts about the scars on Liam’s knuckles from last night and smiling almost fondly. For all his faults, Liam is a fighter, and Theo appreciates that about him. 

“You can stop staring at literally any time,” Liam grumbles, eyes never opening. 

Theo jumps. “I wasn’t _staring_.” 

One blue eye slits open, amused. “Sure you weren’t. Werewolf, you know.” Like that makes any sense, they don’t have a supernatural propensity for knowing when they’re being watched. And even if they did, Liam wouldn’t know how to use it. It’s kind of cute, though, even if it’s Liam, who’s smug to have startled him so badly.

Theo is at an uncharacteristic loss for words, both of them just watching each other, silent under the noises of people beginning to wake up, Scott’s grumbling, Argent murmuring to himself about breakfast.

Theo had spent much of the night unwillingly tuned into Liam’s hitched sobs, his tossing and turning, unable to sleep when the room smelled _so_ fucking sad. Even now, Liam’s sweetness has a darker, heavier edge, and Theo swallows. “Look. I’m, uh…” He chews on the inside of his lip, aware that Liam must be able to feel it. “We’re going to be connected to each other for who knows how long.” 

“I’m aware,” Liam says dryly, glancing between their hands as if he can actually see the bond connecting them. Theo wonders what it would look like, if it would be tangled, grasping. 

“And I mean, we worked together well, once.” More than once; when they’re fighting something, a united force, they’re a perfect team. At the hospital, Theo had felt close to euphoric, confident in Liam being there at every turn, not having to speak. Just _moving_. Extensions of each other’s bodies--kind of like they are now. 

“Well, you could, like, try being nice to me.”

“I am nice,” Theo says on automatic, Liam giving him a sardonic look. 

“Last night was nice?” he questions, holding up his right hand; if they were human, Theo knows, Liam’s wrist would be bruised from Theo’s grip. And there would probably be less punching in general. 

“Alright,” he concedes. It’s easier, without the simmering mass of fear and grief that seeing Tara always causes, to settle into a crouch and tip the corner of his mouth up, trying to be, if not friendly, at least neutral.

“You just hate us all so much,” Liam mutters, squirming until he’s sitting up and can yawn, pink tongue and open mouth. “It’s not like I’m thrilled about this, either.”

That’s the issue; Theo doesn’t hate them, not as much as he wants to. He’s in this situation _because_ he doesn’t hate them, fought the Ghost Riders and the Anuk Ite and didn’t leave Beacon Hills the moment he came back from Hell. Came back for Liam in the hospital and couldn’t keep the grin off his face as the kid actually tamed a Ghost Rider’s horse. The McCall pack is _insane_ , and Theo begrudgingly admires that.

“Okay, Dunbar, jeez. I’ll start being _nice_ to you.” A promise easier made than kept. Liam’s answering smile is wide and pleased, though, the sad edge to his scent petering out and eventually disappearing altogether. “So are you going to get out of the tub, or do I have to take my shower while you’re in here? I’m not sure you’re ready to handle all this,” Theo asks, indicating himself, and Liam flushes. 

“About that.” Theo tips his head; if Liam actually wants to stay in here, that’ll be weird, but he’s trying to be nice and he can deal. He can always shower later. “Mason told me.” There’s pretty much only one thing Mason could’ve told him, and Theo feels...not annoyance, or even surprise, really. He was already aware they share everything. He’s curious about Liam’s reaction, but not concerned. Li’s had a gay best friend his whole life, this won’t be another checkmark against Theo. 

“Try not to be too shocked.” 

Liam’s foot is jiggling, knocking against the side of the tub as he yawns again, shakes his head. “I’m not. I am, too.”

That...that comes as something of a surprise to Theo, who rocks back on his heels. He very clearly remembers Liam slobbering all over Hayden while Theo was behind them, in chains, but that doesn’t mean anything, of course. Besides the urge Theo’d had to gag. “Damn. I really feel like we’re bonding here, Liam.” This actually earns him a smile from Liam, which is honestly a welcome reprieve from the still lingering sadness. “Is there…anyone, in this pack, who’s straight?” 

“Scott, maybe, we’re not sure.” 

No comment on the others, which is interesting. “Well, in that case, I guess you’re welcome to watch me shower.” Liam makes a hilarious noise and scrambles from the tub, almost tripping so Theo has to steady him, hands tight on Liam’s arm. “Alright, jeez, relax. I’m not going to attack you.”

“Again,” Liam mutters, fracturing the easy peace between them. Theo lets him go immediately and doesn’t answer, watching Liam head back into the bedroom. Liam is intent on digging through his bag, pulling out clothes, and won’t look at him. After a couple seconds he seems to have located the right shirt and starts changing, exposing the dimples on the small of his back, at which point Theo turns away, sighing, and closes the door.

* * *

The mood at breakfast is not as awkward as it could be. Melissa is upstairs, sleeping off her shift, Theo keeping a casual track of her breathing. Alec and Scott sit on one side of the table, Liam and Theo on the other, with Argent at the head, already fully dressed while the rest of them, besides Theo, are still in pajamas, Scott’s hair spiked up at one side and pressed flat on the other. 

No one brings up Theo’s behavior last night, and Liam seems content enough to eat half his weight in pancakes, syrup smeared over his mouth as he gesticulates with a fork, explaining the intricacies of lacrosse to Alec, with Scott’s occasional interjection. “Lacrosse is the best sport in the world,” Liam says with complete sincerity, and Theo actually exchanges a wry look with Argent, feeling a little jolt go through him when he realizes what he’s done. He looks down, to his own plate of pancakes he’s been relentlessly devouring, presses them flatter with the tines of his fork. 

“Theo, what about you?” Scott asks out of the blue, Theo stiffening to hide the fact he nearly jumped.

“What about me?” he asks stupidly, annoyed with himself directly afterward. 

Scott’s face is kind, questioning. “Do you like sports? You skateboard, right?” 

Theo should’ve known his lie about the circumstances of his turning would come back to bite him in the ass. He _can_ skateboard, he learned for the purposes of the story, he just doesn’t care for it. His hand clenches around his fork. “No, um, that was a lie,” he mumbles, and Scott really shouldn’t look so surprised, most everything he said back then was a lie. Argent clears his throat, leaves the table without a word. He doesn’t have the patience for this kind of awkward drama. Theo suddenly, desperately wants the mood in the room to lighten again, for Alec not to look vaguely trapped, their various scents turning to dismay. “I like hockey, though,” he blurts. He had briefly wanted to play when he was little. Getting bitten through hockey pads had seemed less believable, though. 

“I like hockey,” Alec volunteers, taking their attention off Theo, thankfully. Theo allows himself to be drawn into a conversation on the merits of various teams, ignoring Liam’s flabbergasted look as Theo argues for the LA Kings. It’s not like Theo spends all his free time plotting, he’s allowed to have _hobbies_.

* * *

They go back downstairs after breakfast, Theo focused on a book he’s been meaning to read but never had the free time to. Which is another positive benefit of this bond, his lack of responsibilities. He’s living the life of a suburban kid in the summer, getting to laze around in the sun, full and content. No worries. It’ll come back to bite him in the ass later, he’s sure. No money, no pack, no friends. 

For now, he allows himself to get lost in it, sitting on the mattress with his back to the basement’s concrete wall, sun streaming in through the tiny window and warming the crown of his head, making him lazy and distracted, losing track of Liam so long as he’s not talking or stretching the bond. 

It’s probably the most relaxed Theo has been in years, which is why he doesn’t notice the heat slowly building in his stomach until it’s overpowering and his head tips back, against the wall, lips opening on a moan and it feels like someone is _touching his dick_ , except all he’s been doing is reading. It takes him a moment, distracted by the haze of pleasure, to realize exactly what’s going on. He grits his teeth, thankful the rest of the pack is out which is actually exactly why Liam is doing this now, he’s sure. 

“Fucking _idiot_ ,” he says under his breath as another ripple of sensation goes through him, puts his book aside to hunt down Liam and...and do something to him, that’s for sure. A twelve foot radius means there’s only so many places Liam can be, and sure enough he’s in the bathroom, head jerking up to stare at Theo when he flings the door open. Even from here Theo can see how dilated his pupils are. “Dunbar, you little _pervert_ ,” he seethes. 

Liam’s facing the door, back against the tub with his legs splayed out flat, and Theo’s eyes immediately go to Liam’s cock, framed by the V of his jeans, dripping pre in the hair on his stomach. One hand is on his chest, resting, the other wrapped around his cock, not fully covering it. 

Theo is thinking distantly, helplessly, that Liam’s _big_ , which he wasn’t expecting, and his dick is as pretty as the rest of him. He licks his lips. The room smells so good, decadent with the sugar sweet smell Liam usually has made even better by arousal, like candy that melts in your mouth. Theo is not going to spend any time thinking about that, frozen with one hand on the doorframe, claws coming out to curve around the wood. His dick _aches_.

Liam’s staring at him stupidly for a moment, flushed with pleasure high on his cheeks, releasing his bottom lip from where it was caught between his teeth, probably trying to keep himself quiet. Then he yelps, scrambling to cover himself and yelling, “What the _fuck_ , Theo!”

Oh, like _Liam’s_ the one who should be angry.

“I can feel that,'' Theo tells him, gesturing somewhat vaguely in his direction to indicate exactly what it is he can feel, trying not to watch as Liam gets to his feet, pulls his shirt down over his stomach with a sticky hand. 

“I thought the bond was only pain?”

“Obviously not, Liam!” 

Theo's still half hard, actually, reaches down to adjust himself through his jeans and Liam’s eyes catch the movement. The flush on his cheeks gets even darker, if that’s possible. When he brings his eyes back to Theo’s face, though, his scent turns rapidly into distress. “You mean I can't-” He makes a motion with his hands, like a circle, which shouldn’t mean anything, but Theo gets it. 

“No, Liam, you can’t-” he says, repeating the motion. “-Unless you want me feeling every moment of it.” Now he knows exactly how Liam likes to touch himself, which is another thought he’s putting in a box and never going near. 

“I mean...is that really so bad? How often do you do it, cause we could like. Plan it out,” Liam mumbles, probably already knowing what Theo’s exact reaction will be. Theo doesn’t disappoint.

He gapes at Liam for a moment, says, “I am _not_ discussing my fucking _masturbation schedule_ with you, Dunbar.” The V of Liam’s jeans is still open, his dick leaving a wet spot against the red boxers he’s wearing and the fact that Liam’s still hard pisses off Theo more than anything, somehow. Liam makes a sort of miserable whine, his eyes all big and sad and blue, like Theo’s _punishing him_ by not wanting to have mutual freaky orgasms. He suddenly wants out of this conversation so badly he can taste it in his throat, frantic. He can’t stand here with a half naked, aroused Liam and discuss masturbation like it’s normal. He just can’t. “Look, fine, whatever, if you’re so horny you can’t wait the hopefully short period before we’re separated to do...that, then do it when I’m asleep. Okay?” 

Anything so Liam will stop looking at him like that.

Liam bites his lip again. “Kay.”

“Good. Let’s...never talk about this again.” That said, he goes back to the cot and forces himself to think about Stiles and the Dread Doctors under their masks until he’s not hard anymore.

* * *

Theo thinks it might mostly, kind of be fine, that he and Liam can tiptoe around the fact that apparently they’re not only connected through pain, which sucked enough, but pleasure too, and he somehow avoids Liam’s eyes and doesn’t think about his scent or his dick and Theo isn’t usually weird like this, especially around Liam, who’s...Liam, and thus not worth thinking much about. Theo fucks whoever he wants to fuck, he has for years because it’s not hard for him and he can be charming, when he wants to be. He doesn’t usually fuck grumpy little werewolves who are forcibly attached to his soul, because that’s never actually _happened before_ , and he definitely wouldn’t be thinking this much about Liam if he hadn’t fucking walked in on him masturbating this morning. Liam won’t look him in the eye, either, reeking hotly of embarrassment, until Theo says enough shitty, sarcastic comments that Liam is able to relax and snipe back, returning all to how it should be.

* * *

“Theo, can you come up here?” Theo jolts, locks eyes with Liam as he sits up, too, both of them wide eyed. He hopes Liam can’t feel the anxiety that crawls up from his stomach and settles in his sternum, the low, humming dread. Argent is calling him upstairs, first back to the house, and Theo _knows_ Argent can’t hurt him with impunity, especially not with Liam attached to him, but he still licks his lips, calming his pulse and yells back, “I’m bringing Liam.” 

“You kind of have to,” Liam says as he wiggles his way off the air mattress, folding down a page in the ridiculously heavy book he’s been reading. The air mattress actually sags under its weight. 

“If he tries to kill me, you’re a witness,” Theo murmurs, only half joking. 

“Oh my _God_ , Theo, he’s not going to kill you,” Liam complains, shoving at the back of Theo’s legs to make him climb the stairs faster. “It would ruin Melissa’s carpets.”

Theo spins, mouth open with indignation, when he catches Liam’s grin and breathes air through his nose in an almost-laugh. “Shut up, Dunbar.” 

Argent doesn’t look particularly unhappy when they reach the top of the stairs. He smells of metal, of motor oil. A mechanic, probably, Scott is always complaining about his beat-up car and Argent has this weird relationship with him where they both tiptoe around not quite being father and son, Scott going to Argent for advice and Argent doing things for Scott such as taking his car to the shop. 

Theo can feel Liam at his back, which is actually pretty comforting. Liam’s not going to let anything happen to him. 

“Hey,” Argent says after a pause, casual as anything with his hands in his pockets. “Melissa told me you’re not too familiar with doing chores?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Theo says, discomfited. Not familiar with doing what these people would consider chores, anyway. He had his own list of chores from the Doctors. 

“Right. Well, she wants me to show you how to iron clothes.” Argent nods towards the laundry room and starts heading over, expecting to be followed.

Liam tugs on the back of Theo’s shirt. “You don’t know how to do chores?” 

Liam’s gleeful, his scent lighting up as he bounces loosely on his feet until Theo turns and hisses, “When the _fuck_ would I have time to learn that? Between murders?” before he’s going after Argent, who throws them both an unimpressed look.

“Here’s laundry,” he says, holding up a basket that _reeks_ of the McCall pack, Theo’s hand rising to shield his nose on automatic. Argent’s eyeing him, aware of exactly how this affects Theo. Dick. 

“It smells really good in here,” Liam says brightly. 

Argent smiles tightly, returns the basket to its place.“I bet it does. But we’re not teaching you how to do laundry.” Thank God, because Theo’s been using laundromats since he was _nine_. “Melissa likes to iron her scrubs, keep them looking nice,” Argent says, smelling of fondness. “So you’d better pay close attention.”

Theo resists the urge to be sarcastic, feels Liam’s arm brush against his as they lean over the ironing board together. Theo knows what ironing _is_ , he’s not an idiot, but he’s secretly a little grateful Melissa thought to train him first. He really doesn’t want to end up burning her scrubs.

* * *

Theo makes it through another day with the McCall pack, three full meals again and knows there won’t be any cops rapping on his windshield at the ass crack of dawn. He also manages to avoid being weird around Liam, determinedly not thinking about the...incident...in the morning. All of which is great, and all of which doesn’t stop Theo from being awake at around three in the morning, on his back in the cot, staring with human eyes at what he can see of the pipes on the ceiling, hands linked together on his stomach. His breathing is long and easy, deep, Theo falling into a kind of fugue state as he traces heartbeats around the house. 

Melissa is off shift, her heartbeat calm in the upstairs bedroom next to Argent, who’s awake and thinking about something painful judging from his troubled breathing. Theo tears his hearing away, feeling intrusive and awkward and instead listens to Alec, who snores a bit in his sleep, occasionally mumbling words to himself. Scott is at Malia’s for the night, apparently trusting that Theo’s reformed enough not to slaughter half the pack while he’s gone. Which is good, Theo figures as he rolls over, onto his stomach with his hands near his head.

And then there’s Liam, whose heartbeat Theo could recognize anywhere by now, his scent warm and syrupy right until the moment it sharpens, his heartbeat picking up as his breathing changes and Theo thinks he’s having a nightmare, is about to reach down and shake him awake to prove that he can be _nice_ , when Liam moans in the back of his throat and comes awake all at once, the sugar smell of him sweetening to the scent Theo remembers from this morning and Theo is frozen, half in horror half in...something else, as he hears Liam make a questioning noise, then relax back into the air mattress as he shifts around. So definitely not a nightmare, then. 

He thinks that’s the end of it until Liam makes the smallest of sounds in the back of his throat and Theo’s cock jumps itself because Liam is touching himself, again. Confident, casual; it’s his body, after all, except for the fact that _Theo can feel it too_. 

Theo almost gets up, almost forces Liam to go back to sleep except he said Liam could have this, and it’s just a coincidence that Theo should be asleep but isn’t, is instead able to feel his cock _throb_ against the cot as Liam squeezes himself, flicks a thumb over the head, gathers up the wetness there and then raises a hand to his mouth. Theo’s confused until he hears a wet noise and realizes Liam is licking his palm, then there’s the unmistakable noise of Liam getting himself off, fast and a little harder than Theo is used to but definitely not uncomfortable, considering how much Theo is having to work to keep the moans in the back of his own throat, his hips subtly grinding down. He has never been more thankful that Liam is so incompetent, doesn’t think to check for heartbeats or changing scents because otherwise Theo would be caught and he has no excuse for how he hasn’t stopped Liam by now, hasn’t spoken up and told him to wait until Theo is actually asleep next time.

Instead, he feels the weird sensation of someone touching him without actually touching him, feels how Liam pinches his own nipple for a second and then releases the tiniest, breathiest moan, so quiet even Theo can barely hear it. The room smells so good that Theo’s mouth is watering; he moves just enough to bite his pillow, not trusting himself not to draw blood if he bites his lip now, doesn’t want Liam feeling that pain, too.

A noise trickles from the back of his throat anyway when Liam squeezes himself, tight, moving faster and Theo can feel his own hips _jerk_ forward, the wet sound of Liam fucking his fist filling the room. Liam freezes, hand pausing and Theo would beg him to keep going if he could, until Liam seems satisfied enough that Theo is still asleep and starts again, the rhythm picking up, Liam’s breath hitching in his chest and Theo is near breathless with it, could cry because he can’t move, can’t speak, can only lay there as the bond between them reverberates, Theo’s vision blossoming into stars as Liam lets out a gasp and comes, hard, all over his hand. Theo comes so fast his toes curl against the mattress, thighs shaking, a soft, broken noise managing to force past the cage of his teeth as he feels himself soaking the inside of his sweats; the room is going to smell so strongly of them, will Liam even notice? 

Liam is quiet, breathing hard, smacking his lips once before he struggles to his feet, tiptoeing over to the bathroom where Theo can hear him wash his hands, fix himself up. The bathroom door is half cracked, light spilling out into the room. Liam’s humming under his breath, more cheerful then he’s been in days. Which pisses off Theo, who just came in his pants and is now stuck like that. Liam even gets the better end of the orgasm deal. 

He half considers getting up for real, letting Liam know that, as great as that felt, _what the fuck?_ Picturing the scared look in Liam’s eyes, how his mouth would drop open as panic flooded his scent, is satisfying. It’s been way too long since Theo really, truly scared someone. Except he’s not brave enough, keeps his hands under his head and his body still as Liam creeps back and into bed, his body settling back to sleep within a couple seconds. At no point does he ever seem to notice Theo’s accelerated heartbeat, or his scent, which is kind of concerning, to be honest. Theo barely sleeps.

* * *

“Could you fucking stop that?” Liam’s irritated, sitting up in bed with his ridiculous hair tousled, squinting. The blankets fall to his waist, exposing his bare chest, the hair there and the sharp dips of his collarbones. There’s a single droplet of blood trickling from an already healed wound on his chin where Theo just cut himself shaving. Theo licks one finger, touches his own chin to wipe the droplet away.

“What’s the problem?” Theo asks, leaning further into the mirror and not thinking about how it still smells a little of sex in here. Because he doesn’t care, and if he does start to think about last night, he’s going to freak out. 

“Random cuts keep appearing on my face and they _sting_.”

“That’s what happens when you shave, Liam,” Theo murmurs, incidentally cutting himself at that exact moment, wincing as another droplet of blood appears on his cheek. 

“ _Fuck_ , Theo!” Liam’s scrambling out of bed, blankets carelessly left on the basement floor which Theo is vaguely annoyed about because he’ll be the one cleaning them up later, and coming to stand behind Theo, enough to share body heat. Their eyes meet in the mirror, identical blood droplets still on their cheeks, Liam frowning. “That’s not how you shave, that’s not how _anyone_ shaves,” he says, eyes on where Theo’s dragging a razor against the grain of his hair. 

“Sorry no one taught me how to shave when I was, you know, with the _Dread Doctors_ ,” Theo snarks back, no real bite in it. He’s never bothered to do it properly since his body heals the cuts so quickly. He stole his first razor from a drug store when he was around fifteen, and learned from messing up. 

The briefest tinge of pity touches Liam’s scent, his eyes dropping away from Theo’s in the mirror, before he’s indignant again. “Don’t use your fucked up life to manipulate me!” 

Theo turns around, Liam forced to move back a step or be pushed, and folds his arms over his chest. His eyes widen, mouth dropping down to touch his front teeth to his bottom lip, chin wobbling a hair when he says, voice trembling, “But, but they were so mean to me! And I was just an innocent little babe,” as a single, perfect tear trickles down his cheek. An Oscar-worthy performance.

Liam goggles at him, until Theo grins, loosens, wipes the tear from his face. “Oh, you are _such_ an asshole,” Liam breathes, almost impressed. “I really thought I’d, like, fucked you up for good.” 

Scoffing, Theo turns back to the mirror, finishes shaving without any issues. “As if _you_ could do that.” He’s wiping the shaving cream from his face as he says, thoughtful, “I didn’t even bother hiding my chemosignals, you know. You should’ve been able to pick up on that.” Scott would’ve been able to, and Malia, and the other enhanced members of the pack. 

It occurs to him how little Liam knows; everything he should’ve learned was neglected due to the pack essentially being at war for a significant chunk of the time since he was turned. Theo is partially at fault for that. 

Liam shrugs, settles on the rim of the tub, apparently intending to hang out with Theo for the time being. His leg is already jiggling, thumb going to his mouth as he says, seemingly content, “I don’t know how to do any of that stuff, really.” 

Theo looks down at him, the crown of his head, hair swept away from his face, those big blue eyes and his broad shoulders. Liam isn’t truly small so much as he’s compact, packs more strength than most werewolves when it comes down to it. Theo would know. There’s something vulnerable about him, though, Theo’s beginning to realize. Liam’s not only lacrosse and irritation and blind loyalty. He keeps reaching out even when people smack him away. Someone unkind, someone like Theo used to be, could do a lot with that. He feels an uncomfortable twist of concern. “Would you like to?” 

“What do you mean?” Liam looks up at him, head to the side, exposing his throat. The vein pulses. Theo’s fangs touch his tongue, automatic. Just another thing the McCall pack doesn’t know; showing your neck means submission, means a lot when you do it around another wolf. Theo knows that and he’s not even a real werewolf.

Not for the first time, Theo’s annoyed with Peter Hale, who started this whole clusterfuck and never bothered to take care of it even when he came back. An Alpha should take care of his pack, like Scott does.

“I could teach you how to use your abilities. How to be a wolf.”

Liam’s thoughtful, nodding. “You would want to?”

Theo settles further into his lean against the sink, puts as sincere an expression as he can manage on his face. He does genuinely intend to help, he just isn’t sure how to explain why, finally decides to simply go for it. “I have to, because if I don’t, you’re going to die and then _I’m_ going to die.” He’s half expecting a protest, but Liam doesn’t seem too offended, is considering. 

“If you train me...will I be able to do that, too? Lie like you can?” Liam’s a mix of uncomfortable and intrigued, hand going back to his mouth, biting his nails. 

As if, Theo scoffs inwardly. Liam’s a mass of tells, his wide eyes, his easy scent, his soft, open mouth. Theo barely even needs scent to read him like a book. “Not unless I can go back and redo your entire childhood,” he says instead. He’d had no choice but to learn; it was that, or die. It comes in useful. “I meant more like hearing heartbeats, picking apart scents. Normal werewolf stuff.”

Enough to keep Liam alive, even when Theo’s long gone. Not a bad deal. Liam’s beaming up at him, and it’s strange, but not unpleasant, to have that expression directed towards him. Being nice to Liam isn’t so bad after all. He’s beginning to comprehend why the pack is so easy with him; it’s not just the age difference. “Yeah, I would like that. Thanks, Theo.” 

“Don’t be too grateful,” Theo says, returning to the mirror, turning his face from side to side. Considering. “I might start to think you like me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see? i gave liam a friendlier theo who's /trying/ and an orgasm. i promised i'd treat the boy well haha
> 
> winner of the longest run-on sentence award, because i was writing under a timer and and only nerds bother editing


	5. look at me. then at your boyfriend. then at me again. is your boyfriend a murderous chimera with really great abs who dug his way out of hell? no. no he is not. you can do better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back bitches i promise i didn't abandon you it's just like. typing 5k is hard and i am weak. anyway. enjoy! more to come soon <3

“Okay, but here-” Liam says, getting to his feet. “I can teach you this.” He plucks the razor from Theo’s hand, muscles him back against the sink and stares at his neck with intent. “Then you won’t have to slice both our faces open every morning.” 

“I’m not letting you near my throat with a fucking razor,” Theo says flatly, craning his head back. 

“Oh my God, Theo, relax,” Liam orders, putting a hand to Theo’s neck, thumb resting just under his chin, fingers tucked behind his ear. His hands are burning. Theo goes very still, sucking in a startled breath. “See, you missed a spot anyway.” Liam keeps a hand on the sink next to Theo’s hip, Theo not sure what to do with his own hands, eventually settling for pulling them close to his chest in fists like he’s a scared kid. Liam’s breath is puffing against his collarbones. He feels Liam reach behind him, turn the sink on, the droplets soaking the back of Theo’s shirt as Liam gets his fingers wet and touches them to Theo’s skin, Theo flinching away even though both the water and Liam’s fingers are warm. Theo huffs out a breath through his nose, nearly panicked, Liam’s scent this close overwhelming. 

“Um.” 

Liam’s heartbeat is picking up, filling Theo’s ears, probably nervous having him this close. “You weren’t doing too badly, you just need to shave with the grain of your hair,” he explains, pulling the blade smoothly along Theo’s skin as Theo swallows against it. He can feel how hot Liam runs, sweat picking up at Theo’s temples, which isn’t unpleasant. Ever since he came back from Hell, he’s been cold. “And stop shaving like you’re trying to hurt yourself, it’s not a fight.” 

“I _know_ that,” Theo says through his teeth, aching with the awareness of how close Liam is, how easily he could twist the razor into Theo’s skin or tighten his grip on Theo’s throat. 

“Do you?” Liam asks, and there’s a weird note to his voice, tongue going between his teeth as he angles the razor up Theo’s chin, thumb moving out of the way, whole hand wrapping around the back of Theo’s neck, keeping him close. 

Theo’s gaze falls to his, the intense blue of his eyes, the furrow between Liam’s eyebrows, and before he actually thinks about it he’s saying, “Your eyes are really blue.”

Said eyes flick up to his, Liam seeming to be finished as he grabs a cloth from the sink and motions for Theo to wipe his face. “Um. Thanks, I guess?” 

Theo resists the urge to cover his mouth with his hands, rubs the cloth over his whole face to hide his expression. “Whatever.” 

Fresh and cleaned, he stares down at Liam, whose mouth parts before he sucks in a breath, darting away. “Alright, you learned something, so, let’s go.” Liam’s excited, already halfway up the stairs before Theo feels the tug and follows him helplessly. 

“Go?” Theo asks, because they haven’t really gone anywhere, since the bond started. No one in the pack is doing much, not with the lingering threat from Monroe. Those who do go out are in constant contact with the rest of the pack, fearing another kidnapping. Theo rubs absently at his wrists, remembering his time under Monroe’s control. 

Scott’s in the living room talking with Stiles over video chat, giving them a distracted wave as they walk by, Theo able to hear Stiles say, “Anyway, I think she’ll be coming back,” and then, squawking, “Wait, is that _Theo?_ ”

“Ah, yeah, he lives with us now,” Scott says, chagrined, hand coming up to the back of his neck and Theo would stay to eavesdrop except Liam is still tugging him outside, to the backyard. 

It hasn’t changed much, if Theo’s hazy memories are accurate. White plastic fence, overgrown greenery around the edges, a small square of grass in the middle dotted with neglected lawn chairs. He wonders what the neighbors must think, with everything that goes on here. The occasional howl, the time Gabe shot the house full of bullets. Really lowers the property value.

It doesn’t reek so strongly of the McCall pack out here, which is a pleasant change. Theo takes deep breaths through his nose. The sun bakes against the crown of his head, Theo tipping his face up to the light for a moment. Feels good. 

Liam plants himself in the middle of the grass, fists at his sides, bouncing slightly like they’re about to fight. “The fuck are you doing, Dunbar?”

“Train me!” Theo only narrowly resists the urge to roll his eyes into the back of his head, sprawls himself in one of the armchairs and watches Liam’s face turn to confusion.

“The purpose of this isn’t to teach you how to fight.” Liam already knows how to fight, as Theo is unfortunately familiar with. He touches the bridge of his nose, stewing bitterly. “Pretty sure I shouldn’t be giving you more effective ways to hurt people.”

The sunny look drops from Liam’s face, Theo wincing inwardly. He hadn’t actually intended that to come out so harsh. “Right. You’d be more familiar with killing them, anyway.” Theo sighs, drops his head back against the lawnchair. Inside, he can hear Stiles’ apoplectic freakout, and Scott’s attempts to calm him, which will be a difficult task. 

“I could’ve killed you like a hundred times by now, and I haven’t,” he says to the sky, smelling Liam’s immediate shock, his little intake of breath.

“And? Is that supposed to make me grateful?” Liam moves to stand over him, blocking out the sun as he stares down at Theo, who squints. He remembers when he came back from Hell, hand on the column of Liam’s throat and Liam had been _terrified_ of him, pulse rocketing against Theo’s fingers. He sort of misses those days, when he could silence Liam’s smart mouth. 

“Yes?”

Liam eyes him for a moment before he laughs, short and disbelieving. “Holy shit. You really believe that. News flash, Theo: most people go their whole lives without being killers, it’s not hard.”

Theo feels his claws touch the armrests, Liam always able to draw a reaction from him, as Liam’s eyes narrow. Liam can be as nasty as he wants, Theo will always be willing to go farther, and he’s not going to stop til Liam cries. Theo finds the image of those blue eyes filling up with tears to be intensely appealing, touches a finger to his bottom lip and grins. 

“Uh, hey, guys.” They both turn to the back door where Mason is standing, fingers pressed to the door frame like he’s pretending to knock. “Are you busy?”

“Not with anything important,” Theo says at the same moment Liam says, “Theo’s teaching me how to werewolf.” 

Despite his previous annoyance, Theo feels one corner of his mouth turn up. “Yeah, something like that.” 

Mason comes further into the yard, looking curiously around himself. “I’ve never been back here before.” The hot edge of Liam’s anger turns back to sweetness as he smiles at Mason, steps away from Theo, who takes a deep breath. He’s going to be _nice_. He’s going to be nice, and patient, and calm, and then he’s going to leave Beacon Hills the first glorious moment he’s separated from Liam. 

“It’s pretty, right?” 

Mason nods, seats himself in the grass at Theo’s feet then sprawls backwards, letting the sun soak his whole body before his eyes pop open. “Oh! Theo, sorry, I almost forgot. Melissa wants to see you. Something about a lesson?” 

“I don’t want to go back inside,” Liam complains, Theo throwing him a look and about to say something along the lines of thinking about other people when he remembers the argument from the other night, bites down on the impulse. 

“She’s in the kitchen,” he says instead, finding her heartbeat. “You can stay out here, just be close to the house.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Werewolf 101, Liam: Always listen for the heartbeats.” 

“Did that...was that a joke?” Mason whispers as he heads into the house, where Melissa is waiting.

* * *

Theo yelps, sucks his bleeding finger into his mouth. From outside, he can hear Liam’s annoyed noise. “Theo! Be more careful!” 

“I will stab myself just to spite you,” Theo mutters, taking his finger out of his mouth and going to wash his hands, the wound already healed. 

Startled, Melissa jitters to the side from where she’s been chopping up avocados, keeping a close watch on Theo while he cuts up tomatoes. He freezes. She stares at him for a moment before sighing, frustrated more with herself than him. 

“Sorry, I just…” He nods to the sink, head the only thing that moves. 

“No, no, wash your hands. We have to keep the kitchen clean, and all that.” 

“Right.”

He ducks his head, awkwardly, focuses on the cold water against his skin and not how fast her pulse had picked up when he came toward her. Which he _deserves_. 

“I usually cook big meals for the pack, so you’re not going to learn anything too complicated,” she says, casually hip bumping him aside to grab something from the fridge. He appreciates her efforts.

“That’s fine,” he says, going back to his tomatoes and focusing on not slicing his fingers open again. He’s never had to be good with knives, his claws have always done fine. They’re making pesto pasta, something Theo can’t remember ever having but the smell is already making his mouth water, Theo having learned how to strain pasta and the difference between boiling something and it also needing to be baked. “Although I don’t think I’ll ever be feeding a bunch of people at once,” he continues as an afterthought, wincing when Liam accidentally moves too far beyond the bond and is tugged back.

Outside, he can see Liam laughing with Mason; Liam tips his head back, grinning, golden in the sun as Mason describes his latest awkward family reunion. 

“Why’s that?” Melissa asks absently, adding cheese and bread crumbs to their mix of pasta. “And there should be leftover fruit salad in the fridge, would you put it in a bowl?” 

“I’m pretty solitary,” Theo explains, finding the plastic container full of fruit and searching the cabinets til he finds a suitable bowl. “I don’t think I’ll be attending any large gatherings.” After this is all over, he means. When he’s left Beacon Hills. 

“Don’t werewolves-” She cuts herself off, remembering what he is. “Don’t people like you need a pack?” 

“You’d think so,” Theo says quietly. He doesn’t really deserve a pack, after what he did to his last one. He can’t see anyone taking him in even once he’s left Beacon Hills; his chimera status and the myth of the Dread Doctors are sure to follow him. 

“But you’re part of Scott’s pack, aren’t you?” 

His fingers tighten around the bowl. “No, I’m not.”

“You seem pretty confident about that,” she tells him, putting the tray of pasta in the oven, Theo feeling the heat wash across his face. He closes his eyes against it.

“You’re human,” he says, trying not to seem dismissive. “It’s different for us, we can feel it.” And Theo had felt it with his old pack, still feels some lingering bond towards Corey that neither of them will ever mention. Torn apart when he sunk his claws into Tracy and Josh, Corey finding a safer place. When he blinks his eyes back open she’s watching him, neutral, and he can’t scent her over the smell of food that’s filling the air. “What?” he snaps, wrapping both hands around the bowl so she knows he’s not a threat.

“Sounds lonely,” is all she says, closing the oven and setting the timer. 

“I am with Liam every hour of every day.” Theo is _never_ alone.

“Okay, Theo. Well, you can go back outside, dinner will be ready in thirty.” He nods obediently and heads out.

* * *

Liam and Mason are chatting about old classmates, about summer plans, when Theo makes his way back to them, settling next to Liam on the grass. “I think I want to visit the Grand Canyon. When I get away from this guy, anyway,” Liam says, hooking a thumb in Theo’s direction and Theo had actually almost forgotten, was enjoying the sun and having human company that wasn’t trying to kill him. He glowers at Liam. 

“We should call Deaton right now, he’s taking too long,” he mutters, nudging Liam til he grabs his phone and calls Deaton, the three of them hovering over the phone like they did last week, except this time Theo doesn’t even consider killing Liam. He thinks that could be considered progress. 

“I still don’t really know what the issue is,” Deaton admits, calm and smiling at all three of them with his office in the background. Theo really wonders how much time he spends being a vet and how much he spends being a mysterious weirdo who never admits to anything. “I can tell you that from my research, your souls are bonded completely.”

“But we’re not….Does this mean we’re soulmates?” 

“I suppose that’s up to you two, but no, this is not that kind of bond.” Theo looks to Liam, who’s wrinkling his nose. The thought of being Liam’s soulmate is almost as bad as being forced to bond with him. He saw Liam with Hayden, how he was kind and soft and always smiling, being sweet. It was adorable. Theo would hate that, he tells himself. 

“Well, we’re not,” Liam says. “We just...really want to be separated.” 

“I’m nice to you now,” Theo mutters, actually a little miffed because he was nice to Liam this morning and he hasn’t been snapping at him nearly as much, except in his head. And he does that for everyone.

“Yeah, but you’re still you,” Liam says as he hangs up, Mason giving him a look Theo can’t read as his scent turns amused. 

“And what is that supposed to mean, Liam?” Mason asks, grinning.

“You know exactly what it means,” Theo snaps, turning away. He hasn’t killed anyone who wasn’t trying to hurt him since he came back, even when they were cops and it was the middle of the Preserve and Theo had been woken from a sound sleep and he really wanted to get rid of the problem and bury their bodies where no one could find them. He didn’t, though. He just woke up, moved on. And he took Gabe’s pain. 

“No, Theo, that’s not what-” Mason is still smiling for some reason, and all of a sudden Theo relaxes, lets the warm day and the kindness and even Liam’s insults just wash through him. 

“It’s fine,” he dismisses, shrugging. “Anyway, Deaton still hasn’t found anything and if we’re being completely honest, he might never.” He thinks about spending the rest of his life tied to Liam. “There has to be some way to sever the bond.”

“We don’t even know how it happened,” Liam points out, which Theo has to concede with. The memories from that time aren’t coming back to him anymore than they are to Liam, those couple of hours from that night a complete blank. Theo can remember pretty much everything that’s happened to him, even stuff he wishes he didn’t, like Tara and the Doctors experimenting on him until they were satisfied. It’s terrifying that a random summer night that ended with his soul literally attached to another person just isn’t there.

“Maybe if we could go over it, find at least a couple flashbacks. I could do the claw thing,” Theo says, flicking his fingers out with his claws extended as Liam flinches back, scent dipping into fear. 

“After what you did to Lydia?” Mason points out when Liam doesn’t, and Theo sheathes his claws. He can’t even be angry, Mason’s right.

“It’s just something to think about,” he says, looking Liam in the eye, smirking. “And don’t worry; I promise to be gentle.” Liam flushes to the roots of his hair, scent spiking a little with the cinnamon candy of his anger, while Mason just laughs.

* * *

Lunch isn’t as bad as it had been before; Argent doesn’t spend the entire time glowering at him, and he gets what might be the beginning of a smile from Alec when they find out Theo helped with the meal. “Did you poison it?” Liam asks, but even he isn’t exactly angry, and he definitely isn’t hesitating to spoon a large pile of pasta onto his plate. 

“I did, but it’s poison that only works on small, pissy werewolves,” Theo snarks back, watching Liam unsuccessfully hide a smile. 

“It’s good,” he says after the first bite, almost surprised. 

“Melissa helped,” Theo admits, sending a shy look her way that’s received with a nod. Scott is grinning, wide and pleased, always at his happiest when everyone is getting along because he’s a freak like that. Theo, who still thrives a little on chaos, will never understand it.

“So how mad is Stiles?” Liam asks without any grace, shovelling pasta into his mouth. They made two trays, it’s not like they’ll run out. Liam and Scott seem to be bottomless pits, though. 

Scott’s mouth twists down as his scent turns unsure, shoulders hiking up in a vague shrug. “He’s not...thrilled,” he says, which means that Stiles is furious and probably stewing uselessly away in Washington while Derek and Lydia try to calm him down. Theo is sure Lydia already knows, has probably known for a while and already accepted it. She’s pragmatic like that. “He doesn’t like being kept out of the loop.” 

“I bet he doesn’t,” Theo mutters into his pasta. Stiles has always had to know everything about everything, and he is very slow to forgive.

“He’ll come around,” Scott says, tipping a crooked smile in Theo’s direction that he’s aggravatingly charmed by, even when there’s pesto smeared on Scott’s cheek.

“They can’t kick us both out,” Liam says, which everyone in the room is certainly aware of. Especially Argent, who’s eying Theo again, with that same look of _Your time will come, boy_ , and Theo doesn’t flinch away because he’s had worse than Argent stare him down. He just swallows his mouthful of pasta and grins back.

* * *

He ends up in the kitchen after dinner, doing dishes again because it’s peaceful and he likes the monotony of it, the normal parts of living that he didn’t even know he missed. Melissa had complained that the cook doesn’t have to do the dishes, but Theo had insisted and it’s not like anyone else was rushing forward to help. He very determinedly does not look out the window, fearing Tara’s sallow face looking back through the glass. He concentrates on the dishes, on the suds over his fingers and the scar across his knuckle from before he could heal.

Eventually, Theo catches the waft of his scent and the happy ping of the bond ahead of Liam stepping up next to him at the sink, bumping shoulders. “Here, let me help,” Liam says, taking a plate from the pile of dirty dishes and grabbing the spare sponge, lathering it up. He pulls his shirtsleeves up past his forearms, exposing the bare, tanned skin, muscles flexing. Liam has nice hands, Theo realizes, clever and long and scarred. 

“You want to do dishes?” Theo asks, somewhat incredulous because Liam isn’t exactly a homebody.

“Melissa says it’s not fair, even if you’re determined to be a martyr,” Liam recites, smiling. “You’re the Beacon Hills Joan of Arc.” 

“Who?” 

Liam rolls his eyes, Theo feeling behind for the first time in their entire relationship, relieved when Liam doesn’t mock him. "She was a French saint who fought in the Hundred Years' War, and got burnt at the stake. So, she’s famous for being a martyr,” he explains, scrubbing the plate clean and placing it on Theo’s pile to be dried, scent evening out into contentment like it always does after he’s eaten. Theo’s learned a lot about Liam in this past week, useless information when he’s planning to leave as soon as possible.

Theo is begrudgingly impressed, until Liam’s hand slips on a glass and it falls into the sink, shattering, Liam yanking his hand back with a pained hiss at the same time Theo feels a sharp pain in his index finger. 

“Ow, fuck,” Liam’s saying, a shard of glass buried in the meaty pad of his finger, the cut unable to heal. “Sorry, Theo.”

“You’re hurt, too,” Theo dismisses, taking Liam’s hand in his, examining the wound while he ignores his own. It aches, but there’s not any glass in _his_ finger. “I have to get this out or we’ll never heal.”

“Right, okay.” 

Theo’s gaze turns up to Liam, who has his lip pulled between his teeth, eyes wide and pained. He forgets sometimes, that Liam isn’t used to pain in the same way Theo is. He lived a normal life until he was turned, didn’t have a couple mad scientists invested in experimenting on him in order to make him perfect. An emotion that might be sympathy curdles in Theo’s stomach, horribly unfamiliar. “Hey, Liam,” Theo says, distracting, and Liam’s eyes flicker up to his the moment Theo pulls the glass from his flesh, both of them making a face at the pain. The cut heals in an instant, Liam smiling thankfully at him, and Theo suddenly has to look away, letting Liam’s hand drop and turning to the sink to scoop up the rest of the glass, throwing it out. They finish the dishes in silence.

* * *

Theo has nightmares; he’s had nightmares for as long as he can remember, they just have different subjects now, are about Tara coming after him in dank hallways instead of not having power and having the Dread Doctors digging with their hands in the soft mush of his insides, searching for something they would never be able to find, the pure evil they talked about so much. Theo was never going to be able to give them that, he realizes now. He was always going to be a chimera who never quite measured up, although he’s pretty sure now that’s a good thing.

The problem with nightmares is that they’re similar enough to Hell to be real. His time there is crystal clear in every way to him, every time Tara’s icy fingers curled around her heart, the bitter smile on her face when she coated her fingers in Theo’s blood. He remembers crawling, helplessly, crying out for help from anyone, eventually begging for his mom while Tara knelt over him and took her heart back every time. He’s...pretty sure it wasn’t actually Tara, just some ghostly apparition of her. He likes to think that Tara is somewhere better than haunting the special corner of her brother’s Hell. 

The dream tonight is realistic, and comes out of nowhere; Theo never saw Tara today, sat in the sun with Liam and Mason, learned more about cooking from Melissa who seems, if not caring, at least neutral to him. Which means more than he would like it to, if he would ever allow himself to be honest. Which he doesn’t. 

So he comes gasping awake on the air mattress, looks frantically around himself with Tara’s heart throbbing in his ears and doesn’t notice Liam, can only smell the fetid, damp reek of Tara’s flesh, her dripping hair. It’s too dark for him to get his bearings and he doesn’t know where he is and he’s not sure if he’s back there, that he somehow ended back in Hell and he does the only thing he couldn’t do while he was down there; he shifts into his coywolf form and ends up scratching the air mattress to pieces in the process, the thing immediately popping so Theo falls to the ground with a bruising thump that nonetheless causes him to relax with relief, staying shifted and pressing his nose to the ground with a canine sigh. He’s safe, he’s not in Hell, unless you count Hell to be asleep near Liam in the McCall basement, and even Theo isn’t that dramatic. 

“Um, what the _fuck?_ ” Liam’s sitting up in bed, staring down at Theo with his eyes flared, one clawed hand raised not to attack, but to gesture at him. “You scared the fuck out of me, Theo. Is that...are you…” 

Theo shifts back to human, uncaring it leaves him naked, the shredded remnants of his clothes falling around him and Liam turns a brilliant shade of pink, looking away. Theo pulls his knees to his chest, which gives him some modesty. It’s not like his body is hideous, anyway. “Yes, it’s me, you idiot. A magic wolf didn’t steal me away or something.”

“Um, you’re not a wolf.” Or a coyote; he knows he doesn’t look quite like Derek or Malia. 

“I’m a coywolf.” An even mix of both, just like he is while human. 

“Well, what the hell. You popped the air mattress, and I am _not_ waking up Melissa to get another one.” 

“Liam, it’s three in the morning.”

“Exactly!”

“I want to sleep,” he says, getting to his feet, ignoring how Liam turns even redder and very pointedly does not look anywhere near his dick. Theo wets his lips with his tongue, bites down on his smile. “And I’m not sleeping on the cement floor.” Or upstairs on the McCall’s couch, where he’ll be too far from Liam and also possibly killed by Argent when he’s the first to wake up in the morning.

“I am _not_ sleeping with you, Theo.”

“What if I shift? And I’ll sleep at the end of your bed?” Theo says, too tired and still uneasy from his dream to be annoying about it, or to deny how good the bond will feel when they’re that close. “It’ll be like sleeping with a dog, it doesn’t have to mean anything.” Not that it would mean anything anyway.

Liam examines him, his chest still heaving from waking so suddenly, the dark reducing his blue eyes to something deeper now they’re no longer flared. Theo catches the assessing sweep Liam gives him, assumes he’s trying to figure out how an animal the approximate size of a person will fit on the bed with him until his face softens. “Did you shift cause you had a nightmare?”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Theo says, grabbing a pair of shorts because apparently they’re having a heart to heart and he’s not doing that with his dick out. He hears Liam’s pulse pick up when he bends over and smiles to himself. 

“I have nightmares a lot,” Liam offers, biting his lip. His scent doesn’t speak to being cruel; it generally doesn’t, though, even Theo will attest to Liam’s good intentions. They’re just usually kind of annoying and counter to Theo’s own. 

“I don’t ever have nightmares,” Theo lies, finally semi clothed and walking the few steps to rest at the end of Liam’s bed, Liam’s toes inches from his hip. 

Liam gives him a skeptical look, lips pursing. “I think we all do.” They’re quiet for a moment, Theo resisting the urge to say something mean enough to get Liam to pull away because he’s going to be _nice_ , he’s going to make everything easier until he can escape Beacon Hills. “I have them a lot,” Liam admits finally. “I dream about the Berserkers, and about what happened to Mason. And about Monroe.”

Theo turns to him, curious despite himself. “You don’t dream about me?” He would’ve thought, after all the chaos he caused, that he’d take a prominent place in Liam’s nightmares. He’s sure he takes one in Stiles’.

“No. I’m not afraid of you anymore,” Liam says, his heart never skipping a beat. “But when I do have bad dreams, I wake up shifted. Like you were.”

“Whatever,” Theo says, turning away, not interested in trading sad pasts with Liam. So they’ve both had shitty things happen to them, who cares. Doesn’t mean they have to talk about it. 

Liam pokes him with a toe, exasperated. “Theo. It’s three in the morning and you shifted into an entirely different species because you were scared. Even I can smell it. Can you just, like, not be yourself? For five minutes?” 

Theo glances over at him, finally sighs and admits, “Fine. I had a nightmare. Are you happy, Dunbar? Have we bonded enough? Do we kiss now?” 

“You are such an asshole,” Liam says, but he’s almost laughing to himself. “It’s like you _want_ me to be mean to you.”

Sometimes he does; sometimes he wants the whole McCall pack to be a whole lot meaner than they are, to soothe the little voice that screams _I deserve so much worse than I was given_ in the silence of the night. 

Theo puts a hand over Tara’s heart and scratches there, feels its steady beat before saying, “You don’t know how to be mean.” They sit in silence again, not so uncomfortable now but Theo still finds himself struggling to fill it. “I dream about bad things. Like things I’ve done.” 

He isn’t going to directly state how much Josh and Tracy feature in his nightmares, but Liam gets the picture, his scent souring with unease. He wasn’t friends with them, Theo knows, the McCall pack is just soft for everyone. 

“Are you sorry?”

“Of course I’m sorry,” he seethes; he’s not a soulless monster. “I just can’t do anything about it now.”

“You’ve never apologized for anything,” Liam muses aloud, and Theo has to concede that. How can you apologize for something that can never be fixed? 

“Obviously I’m sorry, Liam. Except for all the times I punched you in the face, those were worth it.” 

He grins at Liam, who groans, pulling his feet towards himself. “You managed to act like a nice person for about five minutes, I’m proud of you. Is there enough room at my feet for you to sleep?” 

Theo isn’t so sure he loves that sentence, he’s not a loyal _dog_ , but he takes a second to examine the tiny cot, which will just barely fit the both of them, and nods. “I can curl up into a pretty small ball, I have before. Just try not to kick me or I’ll rip your throat out. With my teeth.” He bares said fangs at Liam, who doesn’t flinch.

“You can’t do that anymore, Theo. I’m not afraid of you.” 

“That’s foolish of you,” he mutters to himself, getting to his feet and shimmying the shorts off his hips, not wanting to ruin another pair. Liam’s breath hitches, Theo ignoring it because he doesn’t have time for Liam’s weird hangups about naked people. 

He touches where the shift lurks under his bones, feels the skin ripple and the weird dissonance of purely canine senses taking over his human ones as the shift covers him and he falls to his knees, hands turning into paws, jaw elongating, until he’s back into being a coywolf, getting to his feet and panting at Liam. Liam reaches one hand out, like he’s going to pet Theo, and Theo will actually bite his fingers off so it’s fortunate that Liam pulls back.

“You look like a weird dog,” Liam finally dismisses, rolling over as Theo hops up onto the cot to join him, nipping at Liam’s toes until he pulls them away, complaining. “I can still make you sleep on the floor, Theo, and I will!” Theo huffs, settling at the end of the cot with his nose on his paws, taking unspoken comfort from the bond as Liam’s breaths slowly even back out into sleep.

* * *

He wakes up to Liam curled in a similar ball, the very tips of Liam’s fingers brushing against his forehead, and is satisfied that at least the bond affects them the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey uh after reading this story so far, how obvious is it that i want argent to rail me
> 
> theo: confidence king
> 
> deaton so obviously ships this 
> 
> lots of wounds in this fic....
> 
> if you want them to get hurt even worse, let me know.  
> if you want the next chapter to be gentle, let me know.  
> whichever option has the most comments wins


	6. liam dunbar and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka the five step plan for making liam cry as theo watches helplessly
> 
> at last...it is here...
> 
> thank u to lomitzz for helping me to carve this into something resembling coherency
> 
> i did promise you guys that i would make liam really, really sad in this chapter, i hope it delivers :)

Alec is late coming home, his phone turned off, Scott nervously pacing the length of the living room as Liam watches, hands in fists on his lap, his anxiety ratcheting up with every step Scott takes until Theo can feel it like burning on the inside of his nose, although he keeps his own relaxed sprawl in the armchair across from Liam, unwilling to be close enough that the bond will offer comfort because that’s...too much. Too much like friendship for Theo to be okay with it. He’s not here to form emotional bonds with _anyone_ in the McCall pack. It doesn’t stop him from being scared for Alec.

“He should’ve been home an hour ago,” Scott mutters, raking his hands through his hair, the red flickering into his eyes triggering Liam’s and Theo’s as well, until Theo has to blink it away. Argent went outside half an hour ago to check with hunter contacts; unsuccessfully, judging by the frustration leaking into his tone.

“Maybe he just got distracted? Or he’s in traffic?” Liam offers, leg jiggling, thumb in his mouth. 

“On a Monday night? Around here?” Scott says, not unkindly.  
They have no real way of knowing where Alec is, without being able to call him. They can’t track his phone, can’t report him missing because he’s over 18 and has only been gone a couple hours. The pack is a little lost without Stiles’ technological expertise and natural gift for detective work, and Theo is half-dreading a call from Lydia, the sound of her scream on the other end of the line. He doesn’t know Alec very well, still, but he likes his shy half-smiles and has spent every night for the past couple weeks at the dinner table with him, until Alec stopped flinching whenever Theo asked him to pass the salt. It doesn’t make him happy to see innocent people die anymore, it just makes him sick. “You know that Mon-” Scott stops himself, clears his throat, but he doesn’t need to finish that sentence. 

_You know that Monroe’s still out there_ , no doubt aching to get her hooks in the McCall pack again. Theo knows fanaticism, knows Monroe won’t stop until the McCall pack is dead, or she is. The fact that she’s been quiet since her defeat only makes them more worried, not less. It just means she’s had a lot of time to plot.

Theo pictures Alec strung up in a basement, electric shocks running under his skin, and makes the choice to go sit next to Liam, for his own sake. Liam’s still nibbling at his nails, Theo beginning to feel when he goes too far, the skin under his own nails raw. Never having been one to bite his nails, it’s a strange, uncomfortable feeling. “Liam. Relax,” he murmurs, taking Liam by the wrist and lowering his hand to his lap. 

“I’m not an unfeeling psychopath like you, Theo,” Liam snaps, meaner than usual, the sweet scent receding from his scent to be almost entirely replaced by sour, choking fear. He’s watched Liam’s face get more and more drawn as the minutes pass, constantly checking his phone until Theo wants to rip it from his hands and _leave_ , get away from both Scott and Liam’s worry. He hates having the choice to flee taken away from him. 

“I’m worried too, you dick,” Theo returns, because he _is_ and it’s a little offensive that Liam looks so surprised. Liam bites his lip, muttering an apology then hunching back over his knees, jittering with nervous tension. Theo is nauseous, can’t tell if it’s from himself or Liam, and he’s finding it hard to move, going totally still like he always is when scared, stares at the bricks over the fireplace until he’s memorized their placement, their small imperfections as Scott keeps pacing and Argent keeps _muttering_ , getting more concerned as he keeps coming up without an answer. 

Liam’s shoulders are bunched up around his ears; he’s not used to this like the rest of them are. Argent was born into this life, Theo was raised by it, and Scott’s been shouldering the burden of an Alpha for years. They’ve all lost people they cared about. Liam hasn’t, not yet. He doesn’t know grief. Theo examines the sharp lines of Liam’s profile, hears his throat move as he swallows, and hopes tonight won’t be the night that he learns. 

They all glance up at the sound of tires pulling into the driveway; Alec drives Argent’s car sometimes, a sure sign of favor considering how weird Argent is about anything belonging to him. Scott and Liam fly out the door, into a bloody, disheveled Alec who’s staggering onto Scott’s lawn, caught at the last moment by Liam. 

“What happened?” Scott asks without preamble. 

“Hunters…” Alec coughs, confirming their fear even though he’s back and relatively unharmed, smelling of old pain and drying blood. Liam checks him over, gentle in a way Theo doesn’t know how to deal with as he hefts Alec to his feet, black veins trailing up his arms while he helps him inside, Scott hovering over them both. They all come to sit on the couch, unthinking in how their limbs tangle, Argent coming to lean over the back of the couch, completing the circle of pack. They probably don’t even notice Theo sat in the armchair across from them, an extraneous piece.

He doesn’t even mind, really, relieved that Alec is okay, shaken but already talking about the hunters who ambushed him outside the grocery store. Except for Argent, who glances up from fussing over Alec to hold Theo’s gaze, Theo expecting a warning glare about being too close to the pack pile, already tensing for a fight. He might not want to be included but _screw_ Argent if he thinks he can frighten Theo away from anything. Theo’s faced a whole hell of a lot scarier than him. 

“Theo, you know a lot about anatomy, right?” Argent says instead, Theo so taken aback by it that he responds honestly. 

“Yeah. I’ve done autopsies and stuff.” He winces at that, waiting for the accusations, the disgust, even if they weren’t people he had personally killed. Bodies brought in by the Dread Doctors, or the remnants of failures; a warning to Theo that any lapse would not be tolerated. 

Argent shrugs it off, motions to Alec. “Is he going to be okay?”

Theo takes a step closer, confused. Alec is a werewolf, of course he’ll be okay. He’s already healed. He brushes up against Liam’s shoulder, watches him loosen without thinking as the bond pings happily, and understands what Argent wants immediately, the clever bastard. He considers stepping away, but the unsettling scent of Liam’s distress is dampened slightly, so he stays where he is. 

“Yeah, they didn’t give him wolfsbane or anything.” Theo reaches to touch between Alec’s shoulder blades, feeling him steady and warm even as he takes in a shuddering breath, describing how the hunters came from Monroe and wanted to remind the McCall pack that she’ll be coming back. “So he’ll be okay,” he says, more for his benefit than Alec’s. Scott is giving off such strong, protective Alpha energy that Theo finds himself comforted against his will, sinking further against Liam’s shoulder.

* * *

With all the calls they need to make to other pack members, and the frantic tension that won’t leave, none of them sleep very well that night; there are dark circles under Liam’s eyes in the morning, his grumbling before his meds more pronounced than usual. Theo groans, elbowing him aside to get to the bathroom, where he doesn’t waste time shaving; he’s thinking about growing his beard out, just to see what it looks like. Liam elbows him back, harder than he needs to, wincing himself when the pain goes to him, too, and Theo is smugly satisfied. “Stop hogging the bathroom, Liam.”

“I wouldn’t have to hog it if you didn’t spend an hour in the mirror every morning admiring how pretty you are.”

Theo is about to question Liam on the meaning behind that answer when Liam’s phone rings, the tinny, pre-programmed ringtone loud in their tiny basement. They stare at each other for a moment before Liam runs to pick it up, his scent spiking with fear. Theo knows what he’s thinking; it could be Hayden, or Mason, or another vulnerable member of their pack taken while they were all distracted by Alec.

Theo watches as Liam reads the screen, lifts the phone to his ear with shaky hands. “Mom? Is everything okay?” he blurts, too intense for what’s probably a normal phone call; Theo doesn’t really have to try to hear how his mom pauses, before she makes a questioning noise. 

“Yes, baby, I just wanted to talk. Are you having fun with Scott?” Liam sits on the bed, rests his elbows on his knees, thumb back in his mouth. 

Theo busies himself with brushing his teeth, as if he’s not eavesdropping. Does it count as eavesdropping when Liam knows he can hear every word? “Um. Yeah. We’ve been doing sports and...stuff.” 

It’s almost unbelievable that Liam’s been able to hide being a werewolf for so long. 

“Is Theo there, too? Are you being nice to him?” They make eye contact across the room, Theo smirking, tipping his head as if to say, _Well, are you?_

And the truth is, Liam _is_ nice, for the most part. This whole soul bond thing has been easier than Theo would have thought, aside from his loneliness and the constant, aching need to escape. At least they’re feeding him, and he has a bed. Sometimes messing with Liam is funny, too. 

Liam makes a face at him, says through gritted teeth, “Yes, Mom. I’m being very nice to him.” Theo grins, toothpaste dripping from his chin. Liam makes a gagging face. 

“That’s good.” She hesitates; Theo recognizes the breath she takes in through her nose, because Liam does the same thing when he’s bolstering himself to say something uncomfortable. “Are you...are you coming home soon?” 

Liam’s face twists from semi-amused calm to guilt in seconds, his fingers clenching around the phone. Theo turns away, focuses on brushing his teeth and not Liam’s awkward, “Uh, I hope so, Mom. We’re just having a lot of fun.” Liam’s definitely not the kind of kid who’s used to lying to his mom, to anyone really. He sounds like there’s a gun being held to his head. 

“You know, I thought the summer before you start college, when you leave me for the first time…” Liam’s face is crumpling up and Theo would do anything to get away from the scent of his misery. “I want to have you around as much as possible,” she finishes, sounding teary and very obviously trying to hide it, probably unaware that they can both hear Dr. Geyer murmuring comforts in the background. Liam’s so loved it makes Theo a little sick to his stomach. 

“Mom, I-”

“But your friends are important, too!” She hurries to reassure him. “Just...maybe come visit, sometimes. You can bring Theo.” Theo himself wonders why she’s so focused on him; maybe she feels bad because of Tara? 

“Yeah, I’ll bring Theo,” Liam says, hanging his head as she ends the call with an _I love you_. 

Finished with his teeth, Theo leans against the bathroom door and watches Liam, surprised by the defeat in his posture. “One call from Mommy and you start crying?” he teases, unable to see Liam’s face behind the curtain of his ridiculous hair. 

“I’m not crying,” Liam says thickly, hands fisting in his lap, knuckles bulging.

“Really? Because I can literally smell the guilt all over you. She’ll be fine, it’s not like you’re going far.” 

To Sonoma, Theo knows, Liam already accepted into their History program, because of course that’s what he went for.

"Theo, could you just stop?” Liam asks, raking his fingers through his hair, more distressed than the situation truly warrants. 

“She’ll be fine,” Theo says again, kindly this time except Liam’s eyes flash yellow. 

“How can you know that? What if someone targets her, targets my family, because of what I am? It’s happened to Scott, and Stiles, and-and Derek.” They both grimace at the mention of the Hale family. “You don’t have a family to worry about.” Liam sounds almost jealous, but Theo’s lips pull back over his teeth, rubbed wrong _as always_ by Liam’s idiocy, because Theo would give anything, _anything_ , to have Tara back. To have any of what the Dread Doctors ripped away.

“Well, if Monroe has her way, soon you won’t, either,” he says cruelly, ducking out of the way from the expected thrown pillow or phone, peeking through his fingers. Liam doesn’t move, though, just curls into himself on the bed, tipping over so Theo can only see his back, his too-fast breathing, the distress in his smell. “Um, Liam…” Theo starts, about to consider an apology, but Scott is calling for them to come upstairs and that’s more important than whatever it is Liam’s dealing with right now, even as Theo anxiously rubs a hand over the place where Tara’s heart beats, unable to parse through the anxiety swamping Liam’s scent to find any of his usual sweetness. It’ll be fine, Scott will calm Liam down and they’ll go back to normal, he’s sure of it.

* * *

Scott’s on the couch in the living room that seems to be their preferred gathering space; Theo has only been upstairs a couple times, to peer curiously into Scott’s room, the centerpiece of the McCall pack smell, examining Alec’s room and catching the almost-gone scent of another wolf. He doesn’t dare go near the room where Argent and Melissa sleep, and he hadn’t been able to do much snooping with Liam dogging his steps anyway. 

Alec is crowded up to Scott’s side, still on edge from his ordeal the day before. His hands twist inside his too-long sleeves, and Theo’s reasonably sure that none of this is going to help Liam calm down like he hoped. “What’s going on?” Theo asks for them both, moving to his usual place behind the armchair that Liam sits in, Theo resting his forearms against the back of it.

“We need to get more information on Monroe,” Scott says, earnest as always. And, like, obviously they do, but Theo thought that it was being handled appropriately for once, by Rafe McCall and the Sheriff and Argent’s more reasonable hunter contacts.

“Okay,” is all he says, wondering why that requires a meeting with Scott being intense and Argent looming in the background, looking like he’s considering the best way to hamstring Theo without hurting Liam. He wishes Melissa would hang around for meetings like this; she’s been picking up extra shifts at the hospital, covering for a nurse who’s out sick. Theo misses her more than he would like. 

“I’m going to talk to Nolan,” Scott says, and Theo has to take a moment to parse through memories, ignoring the growing stink of Liam’s fear, until he remembers the zoo and yanking Liam away from a slim human boy, the terror on the kid’s face before he stumbled away. 

“The hunter?”

“He never actually killed anyone,” Scott excuses, gaze focused on Liam, who’s sucking in breaths through his nose, almost panicked. 

“Yeah, sure, but he beat the hell out of Liam,” Theo recalls, almost annoyed at how Scott doesn’t seem concerned about that. The only person who should be beating the hell out of Liam is _Theo_. “If he was human, he probably _would_ have died.” 

“We need information on Monroe, and he worked closely with her. But, Liam, if you’re not comfortable with it, we can find another way.” There is no other way; none of Monroe’s former followers will talk to them, either too guilty or still too fanatical to work with. Scott’s too soft for his own good; if Liam says no, he’ll actually listen. But of course, Liam never says no to Scott. 

“It’s fine,” Liam says, very obviously lying. “We need this information,” he says more honestly. 

“I’m going to ask Mason and Corey if they’re okay with it, too,” Scott says softly, giving off comforting Alpha vibes that do a little to take the edge off of Liam, bring him back from panic. He’s not usually this jumpy, seems to be getting overwhelmed by the hits that just keep coming. It hasn’t been a great day for Liam. “I know that he...uh.” _Stabbed Corey in the hand and beat you senseless_ , Scott doesn’t need to say. “That you guys didn’t always get along well.” 

“We finished the season as co-captains,” Liam interjects, as if that changes anything.

Scott’s smile is wistful. “Yeah, I tried that once, too. It doesn’t mean you’re friends.”

Sounding like he’s reassuring himself more than them, Liam mutters, “It’ll be okay.”

“Monroe’s coming, _soon_ ,” Alec reminds them, unnecessarily. Liam hasn’t stopped thinking about Monroe since yesterday; Theo could hear him mumble her name in his sleep. 

“Yes, we know. Thank you, Alec,” Theo snaps, nastier than he usually is with him, leaning forward until his arms are braced just above Liam’s head. Alec doesn’t cringe away like he would have a couple weeks ago, though, just looks from Theo to Liam with a bemused expression on his face. 

“What about you, Theo?” Scott asks, turning his patient, kind face Theo’s way, expression open. 

“What about me?” 

“Are you okay with us bringing Nolan here?” As if Theo’s opinion matters; his hand raises to scratch at where Tara’s heart beats, a telltale sign he knows Scott is aware of, Theo dropping his hand with disgust at himself. 

“It doesn’t matter if I am,” he dismisses. “And anyway, Liam almost killed him the one time, I’m sure he can finish the job if necessary.” It was meant to come out as a joke but shame floods Liam’s scent, and Theo remembers too late that some of the things he likes best about Liam: his simmering anger, the darkness that Theo didn’t even have a hand in creating; are what Liam hates about himself.

“So it’s settled,” Argent announces, stepping into their ugly pot of tension, waving it aside. “Scott, you can talk to him. He’s...skittish.” He’s crazy, is what Argent means, Theo had been able to smell it all over him. Scott’s calm demeanour might go some way towards ensuring Nolan doesn’t clam up and refuse to tell them anything.

“I’ll get on it,” Scott agrees, going to his car and leaving Liam, Alec, Theo, and Argent to stand awkwardly in the living room until Theo gets sick of Liam’s worry, takes him by the arm and guides him downstairs, gripping tight when Liam stumbles once. 

His color is peaked; Theo is aware that Liam faints sometimes and finds himself suddenly concerned for multiple reasons, one of them being the fear that if Liam faints, so will he. He has an image of their bodies slumped over each other and gets a little rougher with his treatment, muscling Liam to the bottom of the stairs, going so far as to take his face in one hand, turning his head from side to side. “Are you going to faint?” 

“No!” Liam spits, flailing until Theo retracts his hand. “I’m fine.” 

“You say that a lot.” Liam’s breathing hard, glaring up at Theo from under his lashes, the anger tinging his scent a better compromise than anxiety. “You don’t have to agree with everything Scott says, even though he’s your Alpha and he makes you want to.”

“Scott would _never_ force us-”

“He doesn’t have to,” Theo interrupts. “That’s just how the bond works.”

Liam crouches until he’s sitting on their new air mattress, back resting against the edge of the cot, and exhales. “Theo. I’m not a child.”

“I know that,” Theo answers, mildly affronted. A child would be less annoying and easier to control, he thinks meanly, and not really sincerely. 

“I don’t want Nolan around, but the pack needs him, so I’ll handle it,” Liam explains, pinching the bridge of his nose as Theo feels a stress headache building in his own skull, is mildly annoyed by it. Even Liam’s emotions are his, now. He wonders how far along Deaton is on that cure. “You don’t have to be all gentle with me.” 

“As if I’d ever want to be gentle with you,” Theo scoffs, although he’s looking over Liam and noting how his hands are shaking, the dark circles under his eyes pronounced; shame and fear and misery are all twining into one horrible ball of scent that Theo wrinkles his nose against.

* * *

Liam spends the next hour on his phone, talking to Mason, Theo assumes. Which should do a lot for calming Liam down, except he’s only getting worse, Theo glancing at the somehow upset back of Liam’s head while he tries figuring out his own phone; much of it doesn’t make sense to him and probably never will. Just another thing the Dread Doctors took away. He taps frustratedly at his Twitter page, unable to continue ignoring how tense Liam is getting. Which is amazing considering how tense he already was. If Liam wasn’t a werewolf, he’d be headed for a heart attack by age thirty. 

“Did Mason have a fight with Corey or something?” he asks, rolling from his stomach to his side, so he can examine Liam’s face. 

“What? No.” Liam doesn’t turn his head, keeps typing away which is aggravating when Theo usually has Liam’s full attention. 

“Well, you’ve been furiously texting him for the past hour and you still haven’t fucking relaxed, so I assumed that something was wrong with him.” 

“I’m not texting Mason,” Liam says absently, Theo sitting up with curiosity. There’s no one else for Liam _to_ text that doesn’t live here; Liam is close with the rest of the pack and video chats with them regularly, but he’s not exactly on intense texting terms with Stiles or Lydia or, God forbid, Derek. Theo doesn’t bother considering Peter.

“Who _are_ you texting, then?” Theo asks, beginning to get sick of this back and forth nonsense. 

“No one,” Liam says, which is obviously a lie and so Theo feels justified in plucking the phone from Liam’s hands as Liam squawks and tries to steal it back. Theo fends him off with one hand as he reads the texts with another; Liam is struggling, mostly ineffectually due to his inability to actually hurt Theo. That’s been a very helpful part of the bond.

Theo reads the texts from someone named Rhodey, which is a ludicrous name. _Remember when we made you whimper like a puppy? Remember when you begged us to stop?_ Theo doesn’t bother reading further, unease already curdling in his stomach. “Liam...what? Who is this guy?” Liam’s scent blooms into worse fear and shame and misery, Theo only barely resisting the urge to cover his nose with one hand.

“He’s no one,” Liam deflects, snatching his phone back, ducking his head so a hank of dark hair falls in his face. 

“Don’t fucking lie to me, I can smell it, and I’ll make you tell me,” Theo threatens, forcing Liam’s face up by his hand under Liam’s chin, scrutinizing Liam’s wan expression, the helpless hurt that’s almost weighing him down. Even so, Liam’s scent sweetens a bit as Liam bats his hand away, flushing. 

“Jeez, Theo, relax. He’s just some kid from school.”

“I know the names of all your friends; that kid isn’t one of them,” Theo tells him. “And I also know that no one talks to their friends like that.” Theo’s not completely socially illiterate like the pack seems to think; he did almost rip them apart.

Liam goggles at him for a moment before he grimaces, says, “You can be really creepy sometimes, Theo.”

Theo shrugs. “I do my research.”

Liam is almost smiling until his phone beeps again, the same name flashing on the screen. “He’s from Devenford Prep,” Liam explains before Theo can ask. “Brett doesn’t do it anymore, but some of them…” He trails off. “They still think I’m a monster.” 

If trashing a car makes someone a monster, then Theo doesn’t want to know what he is. Liam loves his parents and pulls goofy pranks on Scott and gets all pouty whenever Theo teases him; Theo’s lived with real monsters, so he’s sure that Liam isn’t one. “Well, that kid’s an asshole.” He sneaks another peek at Liam’s phone as it fills up with vitriol that seems over the top considering it happened years ago. “He really hates you, Dunbar. Jeez.” 

“I broke his nose,” Liam admits. “When they brought me to the zoo. It healed crooked and people make fun of him. I think I broke Brett’s nose, too, but it would’ve healed.” 

Theo is inordinately pleased with Liam, scrappy even when he was fourteen and human, taking on a werewolf more than half a foot taller than him. He bets Brett’s face wasn’t so pretty for at least a couple minutes. 

“He deserved it,” he dismisses. “Want me to kill him?”

“What- _no_ , I don’t-” Liam sputters, furious. 

“Relax, timebomb, I was only kidding,” Theo says, regretting it the moment Liam’s face crumples. Ashamed, he looks away, to the window, is startled to catch a glimpse of Tara’s face twisting in rage through the glass, one hand pressed against it. She smiles, takes a lurching step backwards and out of view. He gulps.

“You always have to be a dick, Theo,” Liam is saying, and Theo can’t _breathe_ , is overwhelmed suddenly by the hot pinprick of Liam’s anger and his own terrified shock. “You keep pushing people away when they don’t even _want_ to be close to you,” he continues, getting to his feet and shoving lightly at Theo’s shoulders so he sways back before rising to his own feet, going nose to nose with Liam. Normally, they would’ve hit each other by now, which might have been the less painful option.

“Oh, because people want to be close to _you?_ ” Theo returns, using his two inches of height on Liam to loom best he can, sensing he’s winning and baring his teeth as he presses forward until Liam’s back is pressed to the cement blocks of the basement wall, their chests bumping. 

“More than they want to be close to a psychopathic murderer who killed his own _sister_ ,” Liam snarls, and Theo feels some held back wall in him _break_ , wanting to fuck Liam up until they’re beating each other up as they should be. Fuck the soul bond, he needs Liam’s blood on his knuckles. 

“Hayden left, Stiles left, Lydia left...soon Scott will be leaving, too, then everyone else, and then it’ll be just you and me, Liam, and I don’t even like you; believe me when I tell you I will _not_ be staying here long. I’ll leave your bitchy, angry ass in the dust, just like everyone else did. So, tell me; who’s really the _monster_ that people are always running from?” He seethes, jabbing a finger into Liam’s chest, the pain of it briefly flaring inside him. 

He’s expecting rage, the hot cinnamon candy scent of Liam’s anger, a punch shattering his jaw and he’s almost excited for it, wants something clean and honest instead of this constant churning anxiety that hasn’t left either of them since Alec got back. Liam’s holding his gaze, and Theo grins, waiting for Liam’s furious outcry.

Except Liam isn’t angry; his expression blows open, brows turned up over eyes that are wider than Theo’s ever seen them, his chin wobbling. Theo realizes with a start that those are _tears_ in Liam’s eyes, spilling over his lashes and onto his cheeks, Theo reflexively reaching for him because he didn’t-he didn’t want this-he didn’t mean to make Liam _cry_. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Liam barks, pulling his sleeve across his eyes as he sinks to the floor, Theo falling with him.

“Liam, I-”

“You’re right, I am a monster, I was before, and now…” Liam drags his hands down his face, sucking in a breath that’s almost a sob. “And now I really _am_ a monster, and, I just…” Despite the order not to touch him, Liam’s practically sitting in his lap like this, Theo kneeling and Liam’s knees hooked over his legs as Theo’s hands flutter helplessly in the vicinity of Liam’s hips. Liam curls around himself, presses both fists to his eyes. Theo can still smell the tears, see them leaking from under his palms. He doesn’t know what to _do_ , brain incapable of coming up with any plans. Listening to Liam cry through the bathroom door had been bad; this is so much worse. “I’m not good at being a werewolf because I don’t _want_ to be, because if I embrace it and lose control like I did at Devenford, or with Nolan…” He trails off again, chest heaving as he tries to breathe, Theo daring to rub a hand up and down the arch of his back, trying to soothe. He can feel Liam’s heart pounding against his fingers. “And now Monroe is back, and you _hate me_ , but you can’t leave, and it’s all just so _much_ ,” he cries, the guilt in Theo’s stomach slithering up to his throat; didn’t he _just_ promise he would be nicer to Liam, to make this easier on them both? 

It doesn’t feel satisfying at _all_ to have Liam slumped over and crying against him; Theo prefers him laughing at his own goofy, stupid jokes. 

Liam’s lapsed into shuddering sobs, Theo still clumsily petting his back, between the wings of his shoulder blades, up to the vulnerable nape of his neck. “Liam, maybe you should-” he starts, about to suggest Liam take deep breaths, when Liam violently shakes his head. 

“ _Don’t_ tell Scott. He has enough on his plate without worrying about me. I don’t want _anyone_ to know. I can handle it.” Theo scrutinizes the back of Liam’s head, touches two fingers from his other hand to the dip where his spine connects to his brain. A strange sort of sadness is making him gentle, giving him a glimpse into what Liam’s life must be like; taking meds he hates, terrified of losing control, hard enough to deal with when you’re not under attack and bonded to your worst enemy. Pushing it all down so he can help his pack. Liam always reads as so steadfast and confident, it’s easy to forget what’s boiling under the surface. And Theo just made it bubble over.

“Um. I’m so sorry,” he blurts, knowing it’s awkward even as he says it, Liam raising his head. 

“Did you just apologize?” 

“Um. Yes.” 

Some of the misery leaves Liam’s face as he says, “I don’t think I’ve heard you apologize before.” 

Theo shrugs, uncomfortably, snatching his hand away from Liam’s back before he comments on it. “Don’t expect any more.” 

Liam huffs a laugh, looking older than his years as he scrubs a hand over his face, shifting. “We should really stop being dicks to each other.”

Theo nods his agreement as Liam untangles himself from Theo’s legs and gets to his feet, offering a hand up that Theo takes. Liam’s cheeks are still wet; Theo makes a brief, aborted movement to wipe them away before he pictures how tender that would look and just flexes his fingers at his side.

They’re standing there staring dumbly at each other, Theo biting the inside of his lip, so lost in thought that they both jump when Scott yells down that dinner is ready. Liam’s phone pings one last time, Theo reminded of what started this whole argument as Liam flinches. “You should block that guy’s number,” he says, shoving gently at Liam’s shoulders until he starts up the stairs, wiping at his face. “You’re not a monster.” 

“Thanks,” Liam says, smiling; Theo can tell he doesn’t really believe it.

* * *

Argent is the one who made dinner tonight, something with beef and peppers, and vegetables Theo’s never had before in his life on the side. It’s probably not poisoned, if he’s serving it to the rest of the pack, but Theo sniffs surreptitiously at it anyway before deigning it safe. It ends up tasting delicious; it’s been mildly confusing for Theo to navigate his way around all the new foods available at the McCall table, but he thinks he does a fair job of hiding how _much_ it all is. He finds himself hovering over Liam without intending to, handing him the biggest servings of meat, refilling Liam’s water glass when it’s low. Liam occasionally sneaks him a confused glance, but he’s pleased enough by the attention, face beginning to look less drawn. 

Theo doesn’t know what’s _wrong_ with him, he just feels like he has to. Lingering guilt from making him cry, probably. The feeling lasts even as the pack plays video games together, Theo hovering in the background while he finishes with the dishes, when he lets Liam go first at the sink in their tiny bathroom, when Liam finally drifts into an uneasy sleep, occasionally whimpering. It’s keeping Theo _awake_ , but if he wakes Liam up that’s another sleepless night and Theo does _not_ want a repeat of the crying, or for more dark circles to appear under Liam’s eyes. He considers for a moment before shrugging internally, stripping down and shifting, wriggling his way into Liam’s bed, feeling gratified when Liam’s scent ebbs into peace, his arm coming up and around Theo’s body, which Theo will freak out about later, when Liam’s not absently scratching at the thick fur behind Theo’s ears. His hind leg kicks out, doglike, which is _humiliating_ and he huffs, craning his head back so his snout brushes the long wisps of Liam’s hair. It smells good, Liam’s usual sweetness returned, and Theo is finally able to sink into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> liam: i hate u theo you say unforgivable things  
> also liam, the moment theo offers him some kindness: thanks bud :) i will take all the comfort :)
> 
> now on to next chapter, where liam gets to go to the park and have fun


	7. how to take your pet werewolf to the dog park on a sunny day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm BACK. i had a lot of rough things happen with my family in the past couple months and i've just kind of been...grieving. and working. i did get another boyfriend but that's my fault. i've been taking my adderall and i've been sitting on this for a while so there's more to come out. thanks for being kind to me in the meantime :)

“I want to teach you something,” Theo says, eying Liam from his place on the air mattress, at the cot where Liam’s on his stomach leafing through a book, legs kicking idly. The muscles in his calves bunch and release, shorts riding up so Theo can see the pale skin at the back of Liam’s thigh, and he turns his eyes away. “Sure, but you’ve gotta take me to the park first,” Liam says, licking his thumb to turn the page. 

Going to the park fits neatly into Theo’s plan to let Liam loose, to get him comfortable with what he can do, but Theo can’t help being difficult. “I’m sorry, are you a dog?”

“Which one of us is it who can turn into an actual canine, again?” Liam asks, and Theo snorts a laugh, brow furrowing with surprise a moment later because he can’t actually remember the last time he laughed. Liam’s idiocy must bring it out of him. Liam’s expression is puzzled even as he’s smiling, folding a page down in his book before closing it. “C’mon, Theo. If I spend another day cooped up I’m going to go crazy.” 

“You’re already crazy,” Theo mutters, although there’s no malice in it as he gets to his feet, follows Liam up the stairs to the empty McCall house. Everyone else is out besides Melissa, who Theo can hear sleeping off her shift upstairs, her breathing deep. She mutters nonsense, smacks her lips, and the shifting of blankets probably means she’s rolling over. Theo has become very familiar with the various sounds of the McCall pack during his time here. 

Theo has to admit he’s also feeling a little stir-crazy; Deaton is taking longer than Theo would’ve expected to find a solution for their...issue. Theo had thought he’d be gone by now, excluded from the McCall pack once again. On the road or in some backwater town, stealing and working minimum wage, living out of his truck.

Speaking of, his truck has been languishing at the curb in front of the McCall house, so it actually feels kind of nice to haul his body inside and inhale the scent of himself, untainted by the McCall pack smell until Liam also enters the vehicle, bouncing a little in his seat and grinning at Theo. Theo smiles reflexively back before scowling again because now his truck will be further ruined by McCall reek.

“Okay, which park are we going to? O’Ryan? Sycamore?”

There’s a brief silence where Liam stares at him. “How do you know what parks are in this town?” Theo has been tentatively beginning to think that maybe Liam _isn’t_ a complete idiot, and he now has to change his opinion again as he pulls onto the street, enjoying the familiar rumble of his truck under his hands. 

“I used to live here, dumbass.” He had played tag with Scott and Stiles at O’Ryan dozens of times as a kid. 

His house used to be up the street, close enough for he and Tara to go play in without their parents worrying. It was just off the Preserve, but big enough that they never had to go near the woods if they didn’t want to. Theo had led her through it on the night of her death. Which honestly hadn’t really hit him until they’re actually passing his house, Theo’s fingers tightening on the wheel until they ache before he forces himself to calm down. 

“Yeah, but I always kind of...you know.”

“No, I don’t know, Liam, because for all my positive qualities I’m not a mind reader.” 

“I always figured you didn’t go out much. And you don’t have _that_ many positive qualities,” Liam mutters, stretching out his legs in the foot well. 

“You think I have positive qualities?” Theo asks dumbly, because he had assumed that the only time Liam liked him was when he was in Hell. He’ll choose to kindly ignore the lack of friends comment. “What are they?” 

The skin along Liam’s cheekbones is turning pink, and Theo doesn’t even tease him about it, he’s that curious. “Uh, you know. You’re smart. Like really smart. And sometimes you’re funny. And you’re hot.”

The delicious smell of Liam’s embarrassment is going to Theo’s head, because he’s smiling as he says, “You think I’m hot?”

“You _know_ you’re hot,” Liam complains, absolutely refusing to make eye contact with him. 

“Yes, but I didn’t know _you_ did.” Liam drags his hands over his face as they come to a stop, Theo putting the car in park so he can truly enjoy this. He’s not even being _mean_ , really, so he doesn’t have to feel bad about it. “So, what about me is hot, exactly?” 

Liam makes an inarticulate noise as he reaches to shove the door open. Not fast enough; Theo locks it, reasonably sure that Liam isn’t desperate enough to break his truck. “Theo…” Liam groans, head falling back against the headrest in defeat. Again, Theo’s gaze is drawn to his throat, the vulnerable arch of it, and he licks his lips. That will be something he’ll have to teach Liam. It can wait for later, though. 

“I’m just curious, Liam.”

They sit in silence for a moment, Theo wondering if he’ll have to give up and release Liam, until Liam sighs, says, “Your eyes are pretty, and your hair looks nice when it’s not all spiky and evil. I like when you forget to be nasty and you smile really wide. And you look. Um.” He gestures at his chin, rubbing it once. “You look really good with the whole stubble thing. Okay? Are we done?”

Theo swallows around a suddenly dry throat, because he was expecting something along the lines of ‘your abs are nice,’ not..this. He doesn’t really know what to do with a Liam who isn’t as shy right now, hands in his lap for once as he waits for Theo to respond. He...doesn’t have much, is furiously fighting down any note of shock in his scent or expression. “Um. Right. Thanks.” He unlocks the door, Liam hurrying to get out as Theo tells him, “You’re pretty, too.” Liam makes a weird face but doesn’t argue, waiting at the front of the truck until Theo comes around to join him, both of them scanning the area on instinct. 

Monroe is still out there; Theo knows that a vindictive bitch like her will never be satisfied with getting run out of town. She’s been harassing them ever since. Scott should have killed her when he had the chance. Malia would’ve been happy to do it, or Theo himself. 

“It seems a little ridiculous to attack someone in a park,” Liam says, reading Theo’s mind. 

“It seems a little ridiculous to attack a teenager after lacrosse practice, too,” Theo points out, Liam wincing. Brett and his sister may have survived, but it was a close call. “But don’t worry, Dunbar. I’ll protect you.” He gently punches Liam’s shoulder, trying to be _nice_ , and apparently succeeding if the way Liam perks up is any indication. 

The park hasn’t changed much since Theo was a kid; there are a few families around the playscape, keeping a close watch on their children, some dogwalkers and a couple sunning themselves on a picnic blanket.

Theo guides Liam to the more secluded area of the park, where there are enough trees that they provide some cover in case anything goes wrong, not that Theo thinks it will. He’s not planning to push Liam too far today. Liam’s getting looser and looser the more time he spends with the sun in his face; Theo spent most of his life in dank caves, and sometimes forgets that there are people out there, like Liam, who love the outdoors. 

“Come running with me,” Liam suggests, already sprinting off before Theo can answer, the bond pulling him irresistibly along, until they’re jogging side by side at a pace Theo could keep in his sleep. He’s not sure how far or how fast people like them can run; it seems to vary depending on species or person. Either way, this sure as hell isn’t a challenge for them. 

“Why’re you running like you’re human?” he asks Liam, picking up speed.

“Because…” Liam trails off, his breathing unchanged, of fucking course. 

“You don’t have to, because you’re not human,” Theo reminds him. “And no one can see us, I would know.” He’s been keeping an ear pricked for any sounds of people out here besides them; doubtful, when the Preserve has gained such a poor reputation in the past couple years. Liam’s so used to hiding the shift that he barely knows what his body is capable of, a problem Theo is planning to work with today. “We’re not at lacrosse practice with your little human buddies, put some effort into it,” Theo says, pricking at Liam’s always competitive spirit.

Liam easily catches up to him, sweat beginning to glisten at his temples, the sweet scent of him the only thing Theo can smell. Theo picks it up until they’re running at full speed, Liam laughing and joyous with it, the tension that even Theo hasn’t noticed beginning to drain from him, until they come to a stop near where the park fully becomes the Preserve, Liam panting, bending to put his hands on his knees, Theo shaking his sweaty hair from his face. 

“Feels good, right?” Theo says between breaths, not expecting Liam to sock him in the shoulder and say, “I bet you can’t catch me.”

“Liam, we can’t be more than twelve feet apart,” Theo shouts after him, but it turns out to be harder to catch Liam than he thought, Liam staying just close enough that the bond doesn’t hurt, laughing and darting out of the way whenever Theo lunges for him, Theo’s fingers only barely brushing his shirt, his arm.

They’re both exhausted by the time Theo manages a jump that would be impossible for a human, using an oak tree as a springboard, and lands on Liam’s back, forcing him to the ground with Theo braced over him. It’s at the last second that Theo reminds himself not to put his teeth against the back of Liam’s neck. 

The fall was jarring but not painful; Liam squirms under him, still laughing, until he’s rolled over and they’re face to face. Liam’s pink-cheeked and pleased, letting his head fall back to rest in the dirt, which he’ll be pissy about later but for now he’s just happy, pulse jumping in his throat. Theo hurries to get off him, tucking away all the predatory instincts that chase had brought to the surface. 

“How did you do that?” Liam asks, gratifyingly breathless, getting to his feet. Theo stays sprawled where he is, hand over his eyes so he can squint up at Liam.

“Catch you?” Theo isn’t going to say that he’s hunted people down before, under far less pleasant circumstances, but the thought is there.

“No, jump like that!” Jesus Christ.

“You can do that too, Liam. Probably farther than me.”

Liam shrugs, scrubs his dirty hands down the front of his shirt, leaving streaks. “I never have before.”

“You have to have confidence, Liam. Your body can do it, you just have to trust it.” Theo gets to his feet, braces his hands on Liam’s shoulders, shaking him a little. Liam feels so solid under his hands, barely wavering. “Like, sure, you could do it in the heat of the moment, but not when you’re relaxed.”

Liam nods, focused; he’s always done well under someone’s guidance, Theo realizes. Point him in the right direction and he’ll do whatever he’s told. Another dangerous personality trait, if Scott wasn’t Liam’s Alpha. Theo’s uncomfortably reminded of his own time as an Alpha, of holding Hayden just like this, convincing her to trust her body, to trust _him_ , of Tracy’s satisfied smile when she learned to control the shift. Hayden had never quite trusted him enough to be comfortable under his command, but the others did. Right up to the second his claws were inside them.

His vision blurs for a moment and he has to shake his head, pushing Liam back a few steps. “Theo?” Liam asks, concern in his voice that Theo waves away.

“Go. Jump, Liam.” 

“I can’t just jump,” Liam says dumbly, in Theo’s opinion.

“You have legs, don’t you? Jump.”

Liam tips his head, face scrunching up. “You, like, taught Hayden and Corey how to do cool stuff, right? Was this how?” Theo ruthlessly clamps down on his desire to grimace; Liam can be disturbingly intuitive sometimes. “Because I’m not sure this is going to help me.”

“It will _help_ if you realize you basically have superpowers, and relax enough to use them,” Theo snaps mildly. Liam shifts in place, no doubt worrying about letting go to the extent where he’s feral, like when he was first bitten. “We’re in the middle of nowhere; no matter what you do, the only person you’re going to hurt is me. You can let go.” 

“But I don’t want to hurt you,” Liam says, apparently honestly judging from his heartbeat. Theo finds himself biting his lip around a smile.

“That’s cute, Dunbar. Now catch.” He whips the ball he’s been carrying in his pocket at Liam’s face, Liam’s hand raising on automatic to catch it inches from his nose, inhumanly fast. 

“Theo!”

“Hayden was jumping two story buildings by now,” Theo lies, thinking to prick Liam’s competitive instinct, except Liam mulls the words over. 

“You _were_ a pretty good teacher. But like. Why’d you do it? Once you had a pack, what were you going to do?” 

Theo doesn’t have an answer. He had just wanted, so badly, to have one. 

“This isn’t a bonding opportunity, Liam. Just throw the ball back.”

Liam examines the ball in his hands, squeezing gently. “Where did you even get this?”

“I stole it from a toddler while I was murdering his whole family.” 

Liam’s face drops into horror and Theo feels a pang of guilt before Liam’s scrunching his nose up and saying, “You’re messing with me. I can tell cause you always do this thing with your jaw.” 

Theo snorts a surprised laugh and agrees, catching the ball when Liam lobs it underhand in his direction. “I bought it at some hardware store in Nevada.” He had stolen it, actually, but he likes the relieved grin on Liam’s face and wants it to stay. At least he hadn’t killed anyone for it. “You can’t rely on emotions to bring your abilities out, yours are too…” Too out of control, Theo wants to say, and he would have a couple weeks ago, when Liam was just another member of the McCall pack. But he knows better now; Liam keeps himself on a tight leash, he just feels more strongly than the rest of them, for good or bad. Theo catches the stiffening of preparation in Liam’s shoulders, the easy grin slipping from his face, and bites his tongue around any clumsy words. “ _No one_ should rely just on their emotions to bring out their abilities. Emotions will fail you, they always do.”

Liam is giving him one of those looks that Theo has learned to be nervous under; he’s always considered himself a closed book, doesn’t want to be read by Liam’s surprisingly sharp blue eyes. Then Liam’s grinning, sending a rocket of a throw in Theo’s direction that he only narrowly snags, Theo piqued by Liam’s challenging smile to make it difficult for him, throwing the ball harder and faster until Liam makes an impossible leap, twisting gracefully in mid air, having forgotten to try and be human. Theo grins.

“Tap into that feel. You should be able to access everything you do as easily as this,” he tells Liam, flicking out his claws in an easy motion. 

“How did you learn to do this?” Liam asks, flopping to the ground with his legs crossed under him, elbows on his knees. They’re done messing around, apparently. His hair is falling in his face; the heat and the exercise have brought a bit of a glow to him that Theo is _not_ going to spend any time considering, even if it provides proof of the sparse freckles dotting the bridge of Liam’s nose as he looks up at Theo, squinting against the sun. 

“You don’t want to know the answer to that,” Theo says darkly, settling down on the grass facing Liam, knees in front of him, leaning back on his hands. The sun warms his face. It feels good. 

“Um. Okay…” Liam trails off, Theo sensing that he’s searching for conversation as he blurts, “At least it’s really nice out today. We should do stuff like this more often.”

“We?” Theo teases, slitting an eye open to catch Liam’s eye roll, the hand he raises to his stomach where the bond must affect him. 

“Not like we have a choice. And you’re not, like…” Theo opens both eyes at the upturned kick of Liam’s heartbeat, the pink flooding into his cheeks. 

“Not what, Liam?”

“You’re not terrible to hang out with.” Theo is inwardly horrified by the smile he can’t stop spreading across his face, even if Liam seems equally as humiliated, if helpless in his answering grin. Theo feels something in his chest relax, falls back onto the ground, feels the grass warm through his shirt as he puts his hands on his stomach to move with his breaths. 

“It’s okay, Liam. I know I’m the greatest person ever and it’s impossible not to adore me,” he says, smug and smarmy. 

Liam huffs another laugh, Theo able to hear the noise of him ripping a couple blades of grass from the ground, unable to be still for long.“Shut up, I hate you,” he says, but for once, there’s no heat in it.

_I almost killed you a couple weeks ago_ , Theo thinks to himself, surprised by the remorse curdling in his stomach. Killing Liam now would be...He sits up, digs his fingers into the grass curling around the toe of his shoe, uncharacteristically antsy. Death isn’t something he wants for others anymore, even if death is constantly on his mind. His own, mostly what will happen after, if he’ll be sent back to Tara, in the dark. Hunted for eternity. 

His pulse must change enough for Liam to notice, shifting in place. “Are you, um...I’m sorry? I didn’t mean anything.” Theo waves it away, flops back onto the ground, spread out in a position that’s more canine than he would usually take in this form. The outside of his calf is pressed to Liam’s thigh; he wonders if Liam has noticed. Unlikely. 

“Not much you could say to hurt me.”

Liam rolls his eyes, taps lightly at the toe of Theo’s shoe. “You’re not a _robot_ , dude, jeez.”

Which is something of a change from even just a couple days ago, when they were hissing at each other about being monsters, when Theo had finally made Liam cry and found it to be far less satisfying than he had imagined. Ever since then he’s been careful, hasn’t let any comment draw near too pointed. It’s just as he thought that one time; being kind to Liam isn’t very hard at all. Easy, even. Theo has begun to belatedly realize that unless provoked, Liam is fairly easygoing, if a little grumpy. 

“I thought I was a heartless monster,” Theo says, knowing even as he says it that he’s being an asshole, scratching lightly at where Tara’s heart beats, connected inexorably to Liam.

“Not anymore,” Liam says, firm and sure, getting up and extending a hand for Theo to take. He does, feels the fine bones beneath skin, the banked strength in Liam’s grip, and is tugged easily to his feet. There’s a cheeky grin on Liam’s face that Theo is unprotected against, returning the smile. “You’re just a regular monster now, like me.” 

Theo knows enough about Liam Dunbar to know that means he’s forgiven. And somehow, in the past couple weeks, he’s come to care enough about Liam to feel grateful for it.

* * *

They race back to the car, Liam loose enough to provide a real challenge, flipping over rocks and doing a couple of jumps Theo’s never seen anyone complete before; he forgets, sometimes, that even before the bite Liam was an incredible athlete. He’s beaming as they come to a stop near Theo’s truck, Liam leaning against the passenger side door, leaving fingerprints across the glossy paint. Theo washes his truck every weekend, in his oldest pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. It provides something of a show for the neighbors, but Theo doesn’t care, he likes his truck pristine. 

It would’ve driven Theo insane a couple weeks ago; he can’t bring himself to mind when the bond is pinging with happiness at being this close, and Liam smells entirely of pleased sweetness, flushed across his cheekbones. “I won!” 

“You wish you could beat me,” Theo tells him, hauling himself into the driver’s seat. The inside of his truck is swamped with their intermingled scents in a matter of seconds, Liam’s sugary sweetness and the darker, bitter note of Theo’s manufactured scent. Theo has been finding it difficult lately, not to sink into Liam’s now-familiar scent and linger there. He resists the urge to put a hand over his nose, doesn’t want to be obvious, and clings to the ingrained notes of McCall pack scent in Liam’s smell.

“So, you didn’t really teach me anything,” Liam says after a couple minutes of driving, when Theo can finally relax and mostly stop looking around for Monroe. As if she was going to pop out from the bushes, brandishing a silver knife. It doesn’t feel as impossible as Theo would like; he lived much of his life around creatures who could appear at a moments notice, and while Theo is pretty sure Monroe doesn’t have any supernatural powers, he had still felt a prickle of unease until now. She’s shown very little scruple about doing whatever she needs to get to them. 

Theo comes to a stop sign, looks quickly both ways on instinct; the key to driving without being noticed isn’t driving perfectly, it’s driving like someone who has no reason to worry about being pulled over. A couple miles over the speed limit, a little too fast at turns...Theo’s never once been pulled over when he had a body in the backseat and he takes a kind of weird pride in that. 

He still drives slower than Liam, who makes a mock disgruntled noise as Theo doesn’t speed down the main road like every other local. “There aren’t college classes for supernatural powers.” If there were, Theo would be teaching them, and he would have a real job. “I mostly want you to trust yourself, so you can trust what you can do.”

He doesn’t point out that Liam is afraid of his own powers, because they both know that, and it would be stupid if they weren’t at least cautious. Theo has heard horror stories about claws coming out at the worst possible moment. Of loved ones ripped to shreds. Families killed during the full moon, or when an argument skews sideways. They’re dangerous people no matter what their intentions are. 

“Do _you_ trust me?” 

Theo is jolted out of his bloody reverie by Liam, who’s put his feet on the dashboard, making a face when Theo lightly slaps them down as he says, “I trust you to keep your feet off my fucking dashboard.”

“Do you think I can do it? That I can learn control?”

Theo glances over at Liam, who hasn’t had an episode in years, and nothing at the level of what he did to his coach’s car. He takes his medicine at the same times every day, even when it makes him tired and nauseous, unable to do much more than read limply in bed. Theo doesn’t know anyone who has _more_ control than what Liam has managed to regain over himself. He doesn’t need control, he needs confidence. 

“Maybe,” Theo says instead, pulling in front of Scott’s house and putting the truck into park. He’s not going to promise anything; soon enough they’ll be separated, and Theo is going to leave, as strange as that’s beginning to feel. “You’re stronger than any of us, when you’re really trying.” He can still remember the ferocity on Liam’s face before he almost killed Scott, how even the True Alpha nearly wasn’t strong enough. 

“Stronger than Scott?” Liam asks as if he’s reading Theo’s mind. 

“Okay, not stronger than Scott,” Theo admits as they get out of the car, keeping close enough to brush shoulders out of habit at this point as they take the path to Scott’s house. Liam laughs.

* * *

Theo’s actually smiling when he walks in the door, tossing his keys from hand to hand as he teases Liam about the smudges of dirt on his cheek, until he smells _anger_ and clean fur and fumbles his keys, dropping them directly at a furious Malia’s feet. “You’re letting him _live_ with you?” she snarls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're on our way up now! theo isn't as much of a miserable little bastard now that he's like. had enough sleep and food and he's getting comfortable around the mccall pack despite himself. idk. tell me if this is too soft too soon and i'll have theo fuck him up next chapter. also! cliffhanger!


	8. ladies....is your man a traumatized chimera with sick abs? if so, that's not your man...that's liam's man actually back off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm BACK and have been writing on a more regular schedule. so expect...idk at least monthly updates? but probably more :*

Theo steps back, into Liam's chest, the both of them swaying for a moment before Liam solidifies his stance, takes Theo's elbow from behind and nudges him forward, fully into the house. Theo, who can intimately remember Malia's fist crushing his cheekbone into his mouth, has to resist the urge to turn and run, dragging Liam with him if he has to. Traveling with Liam no longer seems as forbidding a prospect as it used to; Liam mostly reads or works out, and at least he’s pretty. Something good to look at on long drives. 

Theo knows he’s being ridiculous. As if Malia would ever let him escape. 

Fighting isn’t even an option, although the barest tips of Theo’s fangs touch his tongue as he bares his throat helplessly, Malia’s eyes falling there and narrowing, recognizing submission, flaring yellow when Liam shoves his clumsy way in front of Theo, arms braced. His shoulders are heaving, the tell-tale darkening of his fingernails warning at claws. 

“Malia, whoa, hey. C’mon,” Scott’s saying, hurrying downstairs with his own eyes a barely-there red, taking her by the elbows as well and spinning her around, to face him. He’s all earnestness that does nothing against Malia’s anger. “Look, I told you, Liam and Theo are bonded, they-” 

She makes a quick, angry motion, something very canine as her shoulders roll; if she was shifted, her hackles would be raised. “You didn’t tell me he would be coming _here_.” She sniffs the air, face twisting. “I thought his scent was too strong...You’re letting him live here? After everything he’s done to us?”

Liam, unexpectedly, snaps back with, “Your dad isn’t exactly innocent either, Malia.” She’s not angry so much as worried, or she wasn’t at the start, but fear with her turns into anger, just like with Liam.

Theo glances over at Liam, surprised to be defended, the stubborn jut of Liam’s chin. He’s seen Liam stand up for people before, knows how loyal he is; fighting the Dread Doctors and Theo himself to save Hayden’s life, refusing to give up on Mason even as the Beast took him over. Liam’s a pitbull for the people he cares about, Theo just...didn’t know that urge to protect extended to himself, forcing him to see Liam in a new light.

Scott rubs absently at his ribs, where Theo is pretty sure Peter bit and turned him. But it’s old history; Peter hasn’t done anything to antagonize them in years, had madness and debilitating injury as his excuse. Theo has nothing. 

“Why is he living with you?” Malia asks, reasonably in Theo’s opinion, looking to Scott, as they all do.

Alec, left behind on the couch with the remains of their game of Monopoly, looks between the four of them with a hunted expression, yellow bleeding into his irises. He’s recovered from the attack at the store, but it seems to have dropped him at the beginning of his progress, reduced to accidentally clawing the furniture or flaring his eyes when a car backfires two blocks away. Watching the de facto second leader of his pack fight with the Alpha probably isn’t doing much for his already mixed-up instincts.

“Liam can’t tell his parents what happened without also telling them...what happened,” Scott mumbles, distracting Malia enough that Theo feels comfortable stooping to grab his keys from the floor, hooking them with an index finger and using years of practice to comfortably lean against the door once he’s closed it, crossing his arms over his chest, the keys gently bopping against his bicep, jingling. It gives him a great view of Liam’s shoulders heaving, the questioning tilt of his head at Scott’s ridiculous answer; even Alec is making a face at him. It’s amazing that someone as awkward as Scott is is one of the most powerful supernatural creatures on the planet. 

“You’re letting _Theo_ ,” she spits his name as though it’s dirty in her mouth, “live with you? The guy who hasn’t even told us where he _lives?_ ” 

“He was homeless,” Liam cuts in, which, thanks, Theo definitely wanted Malia, who hates him, to know that. “He was living in his truck.”

Malia whips her head around to stare at Theo, who ducks his head under her gaze. She doesn’t look at people like everyone else does, always holding his eyes and keeping them, refusing to concede. A perfect mate for an Alpha. “Why didn’t you tell Scott?” she asks, just like Liam did, just like Scott did, an action Theo finds utterly baffling. As if he would have expected, or deserved, any kindness. 

“You’re right, I could have moved in with him earlier and killed him then,” Theo says, knowing it’s the wrong thing to say, able to catch the irritated twitch in Liam’s huff of breath and the bemusement crossing Scott’s face before Malia has taken him by the throat, her claws pricking the sides of his neck as his shoulders slap bruisingly against the closed door, shaking it enough Theo thinks it might snap and then they’ll be outside where the whole neighborhood can watch as Malia rocks his shit in the dirt. 

He almost forgets about Liam, who takes Theo by the wrist and pulls him away, behind himself again, _snarling_ at Malia through a mouthful of fangs as blood drips down his neck from pinpricks that match Theo’s own, his fingers coming away wet when he gingerly touches there. 

Seeing Liam, usually so pleased just to be with his pack, furious enough that he’s full-shifted, is...unexpected. Theo doesn’t need to be defended, Malia wouldn’t do anything to cause permanent harm with Scott watching. Wouldn’t do permanent harm with Liam there, either, not when it hurts them both. It’s not upsetting to watch as Liam bares his teeth in the seconds before Scott separates them, though. 

Malia doesn’t need to be pulled away, blows a quick puff of air through her nose as she pulls herself back from the shift, eyes on the blood streaking along Liam’s collar, getting smeared into the white cotton. Theo pictures laundering it and grimaces, annoyed with how domestic he’s become. As if he’s never washed bloody clothing before, as if he’s an _amateur_.

The look she turns on Theo is hot and frustrated, not furious as he expected. A muscle is pulsing in her jaw, a familiar sight for anyone who spends enough time with fanged shifters; she’s doing her best not to drop her fangs again. “You _wanted_ to piss me off,” she accuses, which is true so Theo just shrugs, takes the few steps back required to sit next to Alec, who’s flexing his clawed fingers and taking deep breaths, reeking of tension. Theo bumps their shoulders on instinct, leaving a bit of his scent there, although Alec doesn’t seem to mind, some of the strain leaving his muscles. “I don’t want to hurt you…” She trails off, because her heart had skipped a beat at that and she knows full well everyone in the room could hear it. Theo can’t help his mocking smirk. If she’s going to lie, he’s going to tease her about it. “I don’t want to _want_ to hurt you,” she says instead, brow furrowing. “Everyone knows you’re not evil anymore so I don’t know why you pretend to be.” Theo is taken aback, feels his scent flare hot without his permission and isn’t too sure what it will reveal. “But that doesn’t mean I want you living with my boyfriend.” 

“We could leave,” Liam pipes up, chewing on his thumbnail as his eyes dart to Theo, then to Malia and Scott. “I don’t...I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight. And I miss my mom.” Malia’s face softens immediately, Liam the de facto younger brother of the pack. It’ll have been discomfiting for them both to fight, obvious in Liam’s anxious fidget and the guilty peeks Malia is taking at the blood still smeared on Liam’s neck. “I’ve gotten better at control recently,” he says with a sly, grateful look at Theo, who is surprised to be so flattered by the compliment.

“We could leave. Go back to Liam’s house,” Theo says, trying to be helpful for once in his life. 

They all, even Theo, look to Scott, who closes his eyes for a moment that the others might not even have noticed, Theo feeling a pang of weird understanding; being an Alpha is more often hard than it’s fun, he discovered during his very brief tenure. To shoulder the burden of so many lives as a teenager has added years to Scott, despite how rarely he lets it show. 

“You guys don’t… _have_ to leave. We won’t force you,” Scott says, serious and Alpha, and even Malia doesn’t argue. “Liam, I know you don’t want to tell your Mom, cause…” He trails off, and Theo is struck with the thought that Liam must have told Scott things about his situation that he’s never told Theo; werewolves trust their Alpha instinctively, and Theo wonders what exactly it is that Liam’s never told him as Scott’s eyes drift from his face to Liam’s, his scent tipping into amusement. “Because of a lot of reasons. But I’m sure you can handle it. And you guys get along so well now.” It’s said as a joke, but it’s not exactly untrue, if you consider it’s been at least three days since Theo said anything seriously mean to Liam. Except for a comment about his height that went over his head and thus probably doesn’t count. “Theo, do you want to?”

Theo isn’t sure when his opinion started mattering to them, or when he started being glad it does. 

“We’ll visit every day, so you can keep talking to Melissa,” Liam pipes up. Theo feels his lip twitch, wanting to bare his teeth; Melissa is an uncomfortable soft spot that he _will_ kill Liam for making fun of. But Liam is all sincerity and good intent, so Theo shrugs like he couldn’t care less. In all honesty, he’s terrified of being under the purview of Liam’s mom, who may be fine with her son being a werewolf but will _not_ be fine with the multiple murderer attached to his soul. 

“I’d like to sleep without having to worry about Argent stabbing me.” A possibility that’s not as small as he would like, judging by Scott’s guilty wince. 

“He would wait til you’re awake,” Liam jokes, stepping closer to lightly punch Theo’s shoulder, Theo relaxing with Liam shielding him again, the bond pleased, harmony returned to the pack.

* * *

Theo taps his fingers against his steering wheel once they pull up to Liam’s place; deceptively innocent looking for a place that has Liam turning white, his stomach churning with nausea that Theo can feel, too, without the added pain of the emotions behind it.

He wonders what Liam is thinking, feels a pang of sympathy for someone who has to keep so many aspects of his life separate. It would be easier if everyone was like Theo. Completely alone. He tries to picture Liam without his family, the endless affection of the pack, and dislikes the image he comes up with. Still, escape is always an option.

“We could keep driving,” he offers, half-seriously. It wouldn’t be the first time Theo took off with no planned destination, stayed in shitty hotels or curled up as a coywolf while on some mission from the Dread Doctors. When he was older, before the McCall pack, they let him off the leash some, gave him time to learn as much about being a real teenager as he could, to make the lie real. Stiles saw through it immediately; Theo wonders how much of who he is is still fake.

Travelling with Liam would be less lonely, if more annoying. He guesses the answer before Liam shakes his head no, knows that Liam’s too rooted in pack and family and defending this sleepy, dangerous little town to leave it without notice. But there’s a touch of wistfulness to Liam’s face, his hands clenching and releasing in his lap as he sends off emotions so mixed even Theo has a hard time parsing through them. “You would do that? Leave Beacon Hills for me?” Because Theo _loves_ living in a town where he murdered three people and stole his sister’s heart. 

“Sure. For you,” he says, getting comfortable as it becomes clear Liam wants to sit in his truck and bond or something. 

“How would we even survive?” Liam asks, like they’d be going into the wilderness to fight bears or something. 

“We could suck dick for money,” Theo says casually, grinning at Liam’s doubletake, the shock overtaking his scent, before he bops Liam on the shoulder with a reassuring, “Kidding, Liam, jeez.” Liam blows out a breath, rubs his hands over his face, squishing it, lets them drop to his lap as his knee starts jiggling. He’s so full of nervous energy sometimes it puts Theo on edge, too. He reaches over, puts a hand on Liam’s knee to stop it, ignores the stutter of Liam’s heart and how warm he is even through his jeans. “Liam. Relax. It can’t be worse than anything we’ve faced,” he says, trying for a reassuring cliche. It seems to work, a little. Most signs of kindness do with Liam, yet another dangerous trait. 

Theo could have done so much with him, if he’d focused on Liam instead of Malia and Stiles. Could have twisted Liam up with doubt and small tidbits of praise until Liam became a monster on Theo’s leash, all his carefully controlled aggression released.

Liam nods, opens the door a crack and hops out, looking smaller than usual against Theo’s truck. His hair is being tossed in the wind that’s also carrying his scent everywhere. Banked nerves and tension. Theo throws him a smile that probably falls somewhere left of reassuring, but Liam smiles back anyway, grateful and honest. Maybe it’s for the best that Theo never realised Liam’s full potential for violence.

* * *

It only takes a handful of sentences and a quick glance at Theo’s evident poverty for him to be welcomed into the Dunbar/Geyer household with open arms; literally, when Liam’s mom hugs him as soon as he accepts her offer of a home. She feels ludicrously small in his embrace, Theo catching Liam’s eye and painfully aware that they both know he could crush her with one motion. He doesn’t; she squeezes once and steps away, smiling.

Dr. Geyer looks on, nonplussed and sleepy, woken up from his before-work nap to bring a random teenager into his household. Something that Theo expected to be more difficult, but Liam’s mom so clearly thinks Theo is Liam’s boyfriend that it’s making _Theo_ uncomfortable; he can feel her eyes on his back as they head to Liam’s room, Theo hefting his bag over his shoulder, feeling it strain against the duct tape that’s mostly holding it together at this point. He knows Liam’s mom can see it, caught the pity mixed in with her scent, something he only barely kept his lip from curling against. He’s never dealt well with pity, even when he needs her kindness if this is going to work.

He’d smiled and been sweet, which wasn’t hard considering her general demeanor and David’s quiet, steady support.

Theo had considered striking at parents first, picking off Liam’s family, or what’s left of Malia’s; severing enough emotional bonds that the two most volatile members of the pack would be adrift, easy targets for Theo if he was willing to pick up the emotional slack. The Doctors had made another choice, something he’s grateful for. Liam may be able to sort of look beyond the murder of two people he barely knew, but Theo is sure it wouldn’t be quite so almost comfortable between them if it was Liam’s mother lying in the cemetery outside of town instead, mysterious claw marks in her belly.

He shakes the thought away as they enter Liam’s room, still the same disheveled mess from a teenage boy. Theo searches for something neutral to say. “So...your room looks nice,” Theo offers, dropping his shoulder so his bag drops off it and to the floor of Liam’s room, landing on a lacrosse jersey and sending a faint cloud of Liam’s scent up into the air, enough of it remaining even now that Theo can recognize it, the sugar smell with the hot undercurrent of Liam’s anger. 

Liam gives him a weird look, brow furrowing as he throws himself back on his bed, limbs starfishing, letting out a huge, over-dramatic breath before he says, “You’ve been in here already. Like, recently.” 

_But I wasn’t trying to be nice then_ , Theo thinks, keeping it safely behind his teeth as he shrugs, settles at the end of the bed. His body sinks into it, the mattress old and the springs creaking a little. Nothing a human would notice. 

It smells so strongly of Liam here, a welcome contrast to the McCall pack reek, and Theo inhales deeply through his nose, tracing a finger across the geometric lines in Liam’s comforter, trying to settle into the sounds of Liam’s house; his mother humming to herself as she reads downstairs, the soft shift of pages, his step-father snoring a couple rooms down, finishing his nap before dinner, the hundred small noises of a house resting. Liam’s steady heartbeat, that Theo barely notices at this point, he’s so used to it.

Liam’s still squirming, trying to get comfortable on a mattress that’s already molded to his body, the quick shock of pain in Theo’s wrist when Liam accidentally bumps his wrist against the headboard making them both jump. “Careful, clumsy,” Theo says, and it comes out almost fondly, Theo pulling his eyes away from where Liam’s shirt has ridden up and following the lines of his body to his wrist, which purples into a bruise that quickly fades as Liam shakes his fingers out. Liam sticks his tongue out, mimes slamming his wrist into his headboard again just to make Theo flinch before they both smile. 

The room is infused with Liam’s sweet scent, getting darker and heavy for some reason that Theo can’t parse, examining Liam’s flushed cheeks, the stain of red that goes down to what Theo can see of his neck and chest. Liam’s wearing another lacrosse shirt; he must own a hundred of them, from teams Theo’s never heard of as well as shirts he earned from playing. 

Theo absentmindedly trails his fingers along the fabric close to Liam’s thigh, watches the muscles jump under the skin as Liam jerks away like Theo was hurting him. His heart is too fast. “Are you okay?” Theo asks with genuine concern, getting further into Liam’s space to examine him. His eyes are so blue, Theo had thought they were contacts when they first met and is still embarrassed by it. His favorite color is blue, incidentally. 

Liam scrambles back, up against his headboard with his knees close to his chest, like he’s afraid. Like Theo could hurt him; beyond Theo’s sort-of liking for him, and the bond, Liam’s stronger. 

“We should go help my mom with the groceries,” Liam says hurriedly, scrambling from the bed in a mess of kicking Theo in the ribs, both of them wincing, Theo instinctively shoving Liam away so he tumbles to the floor instead, across a pair of lacrosse shorts and one of the thick history books he always seems to be reading, just another facet of Liam that Theo never saw coming.

“You know,” Theo says, offering a hand for Liam to take, “I thought we agreed that you would tell your mom about us.” A statement that could mean anything, really, if Theo hadn’t flared his eyes a little as Liam gets to his feet, lips flattening into a guilty line. Theo is surprised to notice the freckle under Liam’s chin for the first time. It’s an ubiquitously cute feature on someone like Liam.

“I _will_ ,” Liam deflects, his heart not skipping a beat. Theo gives him a skeptical look anyway, plays with the frayed hole at the knee of his jeans, a pair he bought when he was about fifteen that barely fits him now. 

“I’m not staying and pretending to be your boyfriend or whatever until you summon up enough balls to tell her the truth.”

Liam sputters, finally manages a weak, “You’re not my boyfriend,” that Theo gives him a look for.

“Obviously, or we’d be having a lot more fun together.” Theo takes a brief, pleasant second to imagine what Liam would look like on his knees before he gets up himself, bumping Liam aside with a shoulder so he’s no longer blocking Theo’s path to the door, gaping unattractively. At the door, he wraps his fingers around the jamb, waiting for Liam to stop being a freak. “Are you going to come, or do I have to drag you?” he asks, tapping rhythmically.

Liam gathers himself enough to question, “What do you mean by pretending to be my boyfriend, though?” 

Theo is _being nice_ , and he is not going to call Liam a dumbass, but oh, how he wants to. He places himself against the doorframe, arms folding over his chest as he gives Liam a sardonic look. Liam makes a face at him back, as if Theo is the one who doesn’t understand obvious social signals. “Her son brought home a pretty, mysteriously homeless boy after being shifty for weeks, Dunbar. For fuck’s sake. What was she supposed to think? That we’re soul-bonded supernatural creatures?”

Theo had kept his voice down, but Liam still darts his eyes around like his mother is waiting in a doorway to catch them telling secrets or whatever. His cheeks are so pink, Theo can’t take his eyes away. “I...what...we’re not dating, though!”

“So you’ve said.” Theo makes a show of examining his nails, picking away a speck of dirt, waiting for Liam to calm down. “It’s not the end of the world, Liam. _Have_ you come out to her yet?” 

He’s curious, despite himself. This stops Liam’s whinging for long enough that the blush fades away, a regrettable occurrence. “I...no. Actually. I kept meaning to, but…” Liam shrugs. “The last couple years made it seem not so important.” 

Theo can imagine.

“Well, look, that’s perfect, then. I get to move in, and you get to have a bonding moment with Mommy and Daddy.” Liam knows him well enough to answer that barb with an eye roll, and another reminder that Theo is _not_ his boyfriend. As if he would want to be.

* * *

Theo is halfway up the path to Liam’s house, a bag holding a carton of eggs in one hand, sweat beading at the small of his back from how grossly hot this day has turned, when he looks up to see Tara standing on their porch, grinning, hands on her hips. Like she’s about to leap off, into his arms, pretending to be a superhero. He can only imagine how light she would be now. Tara in Hell had been heavy, impossibly so, weighing him down and crushing the breath from him before she ever pulled out his heart, her grip bruising and impossible to escape. Water drips from the tattered edges of her dress, onto the porch. 

The bag drops from Theo’s suddenly nerveless fingers, Liam’s mom cursing behind him as she comes up the path with her own bags. Theo shakes himself as Tara disappears, realizes what he’s done. “Oh fuck I’m so sorry,” he breathes, frantic, going to his knees but he heard the crack already and knows what he’ll be finding. “I can, um, I can fix it, I’m sorry,” and he’s touching his fingers to the goopy yellow strands trickling from the carton, breathing hard through his nose, flinching when Liam’s mom puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Theo, it’s fine. We can buy more.” 

_Failure will not be tolerated,_ he thinks dully, squeezing his eyes shut hard once before he gets to his feet with a smile that even he can tell is forced, the tacky goo of the eggs sticking his fingers together. There isn’t any water left on what he can see of the porch, because his visions of Tara aren’t...they’re not entirely based in reality. He isn’t sure what is. 

“Right. I can pay for it.” He digs in his back pocket for the tattered scrap of leather he calls a wallet, for the two dollar bills he has left, until she’s shaking her head. “It’s fine, Theo, it’s just eggs. Gross eggs,” she reassures, looking over the eggs with an exaggerated grimace that’s so like Liam’s dramatic pout that Theo can’t help smiling, offering a hand for her to take as she steps over them. Her hand feels tiny in his, the pulse bumping against his fingertips, Theo letting her go quickly, half afraid Liam will see them from where he’s carrying the last of the groceries and get the wrong idea. He doesn’t want to deal with Liam’s constant attacks of protectiveness for a woman Theo has barely considered hurting. 

“Oh, Theo, thank you.” 

“I really am sorry, Mrs. Dunbar,” he offers, sincerely, hooking a finger under one of the bags she’s carrying to lighten her load, earning an appreciative smile. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for it?” He holds the door for her when they reach it, her stepping under his arm with a self-aware roll of the eyes at how short she is. 

“It’s Geyer, actually, but you should really call me Jenna.” If they’re going to be living together, he should probably get familiar. Her eyes are lingering on the tear in his shirtsleeve where he worried a hole with his thumb, the jeans that aren’t so much fashionably ripped as they are torn to shreds by too many clawed accidents. She doesn’t accept his offer to pay. 

He mouths her name to himself, feels the flimsy shape of it in his mouth. Another name he’ll be forgetting as soon as he leaves Beacon Hills, a future that seems more unreachable the longer Theo spends tethered to Liam, drifting gently in his begrudging orbit. Deaton doesn’t give the impression of being any closer to understanding what happened than they are, and Theo has almost resigned himself to this being long-term. There are worse things; he could be connected to Stiles. He might actually risk Hell with Tara if that happened.

“Jenna. Right,” he says, giving her his most charming smile as Liam comes up the steps behind them, arms so loaded with groceries that Theo can feel the ache on his own skin, ligature marks almost forming if their healing wasn’t so fast. Ridiculous. 

Liam’s grumbling about the mess on the path, slipping his shoes off so he doesn’t track egg goop onto the carpet, comes to a stop when he sees them in the doorway between the kitchen. “ _Mom_ , how many people do you expect to feed?” he whines, letting the groceries fall to the floor with a clatter and a cracking noise that makes all of them wince; Theo’s nose wrinkles as the smell of ketchup leaks into the air, courtesy of a cracked bottle. Liam’s wide-eyed expression of surprise and dismay is too picture perfect for Theo not to laugh at.

* * *

Later, when they’ve had dinner and Theo has been ruthlessly interrogated by Jenna under the guise of her ‘just asking questions,’ he lies awake in the cot made up next to Liam’s bed, listening to Liam’s even breathing, the sound of his mom getting ready for bed down the hallway, the whine of drawers being opened as she searches for pajamas. 

The ceiling of Liam’s room seems so high when Theo is used to the inside of his truck or the low ceiling in the basement, and he can’t pretend to himself that it’s not freaking him out a little. He wasn’t afraid of the dark before he went to Hell, and he isn’t _now_ , he’s just...nervous. Searching for Tara’s moon-white face in the dark, her long fingernails digging in the cavern of his chest. The hospital had held many corners for her to hide. 

He’s telling himself it’s just being in a new place that’s freaking him out when Liam smacks his lips, shimmying in bed, the edges of his blanket slipping to drape over Theo’s feet, until his arm comes down to grab whatever part of Theo he can reach, dragging his fingers through the short strands of Theo’s hair before he settles on Theo’s neck, fingers halfway around, gripping loosely. Theo goes very still.

“Mm...Theo?” Liam murmurs, halfway asleep judging from the slur of his voice and how his thumb is stroking the skin along Theo’s jaw, under his chin. There are calluses on his palm from lacrosse. The rasp of skin against stubble seems indecently loud in the dark of Liam’s room; Theo half-frantically wonders if Jenna will hear it, realizes he’s being ridiculous but can’t help the catch in his breath. “You okay? Your heart…S’fast...” He trails off, Theo only belatedly realizing he’s supposed to respond when Liam hums a questioning noise. 

“Uh...Uh-huh,” he grunts, eloquently, feeling his throat bump up against Liam’s fingers, not sure whether he wants to move into it or away. Not sure if he likes it.

“You can turn into a dog n’come snuggle if you want,” Liam suggests, which means he’s more than half asleep if he’s willing to offer something like that, and Theo would be indignant about being called a dog if he wasn’t focused entirely on the feel of Liam’s skin against his, the hand holding him in place. Liam could hurt him so easily; Theo doesn’t feel threatened in the slightest. Liam seems to fall back asleep anyway, his hand slipping from Theo’s throat, and Theo realizes that he’s no longer scared at all. He doesn’t have room in his mind for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot more happens in this chapter and there's some PINING and idk how much longer i can keep them apart :P also i love the pack and them hanging with the pack so they're all going to keep hanging out and melissa will keep teaching theo to cook n stuff :*  
> pls be nice to me in the comments


	9. david geyer is just trying to live his life, guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> make em wait for it...BOOM  
> i figured halloween would be the appropriate time for my semi-spooky story. spooky adjacent. i know it's been a while but. global trauma and grad school n stuff. can't wait to write more for you guys!

“You really...don’t need that much garlic,” Melissa says, gently batting his hand away from the skillet of potatoes he’s been heaping garlic into, the cloves piling over each other, Melissa trying to pluck them away and hissing when she burns her fingers. 

Theo nudges her aside and does it himself, hears Liam yelp from the other room but ignores it. Liam woke him up today by accidentally stepping on his head, he can suffer a little. 

“I’m sorry, I got distracted,” Theo admits, which is...strange, in another pack’s territory, that he could let his guard down enough to daydream. Spacing out, really, not focusing on any topic. 

“You have a lot on your plate,” she says, and for a moment Theo is chillingly sure she knows about seeing Tara and his nightmares and how scared he is that those two dollars won’t get him far when all this is over. When the McCall packs casts him out and makes him run. “What with moving out and all.” He relaxes, nods, and grabs the veggies they’ve been roasting on the other burner, tossing them with one hand, sprinkling some pepper on his potatoes with the other, sending a glance back at Melissa to see if she’s watching. She is, leaning her hip against the counter with her arms over her chest, one corner of her mouth tipping up. “You’re getting good at this, you know. Pretty soon you won’t need me anymore.” 

“I will,” he blurts, more vehement that he would have wished, grateful the others are busy watching a lacrosse game in the other room, Liam occasionally whooping at good plays, using slang terms that make no sense. Theo doesn’t think he’ll ever understand lacrosse. 

Her expression twists into something Theo doesn’t want to try and parse out, too afraid he’ll see rejection there; he bends over his food instead, letting the scent of garlic cover everything so he can’t smell her emotions. “Theo…” Not much he can do to block his ears, not without making this even more weird. He thinks about pretending to burn himself badly enough to distract her, but that will badly hurt Liam as well and Theo actually kind of doesn’t want that. 

He’s saved by Argent calling for her upstairs, Theo trusted enough by now to be left alone with dinner, the slow rising smell of good food making his mouth water. He rinses his fingers in the sink, moves to dry his hands, and he’s just placed the towel back on the rack when he feels eyes on him and turns, expecting one of the pack, only to see Tara, there at his side, peering up at him. There are dark rings under her eyes that he can’t remember being there when she was alive, remembers her as a sunny kid who was always smiling. It might be nostalgia tinging his memories, Theo never willing to trust himself on the best of days. There’s a lot he isn’t sure of. She’s so much _smaller_ than him, head tipping up against his ribs, small enough to be scooped up.

When she makes no move to touch him, standing there, dripping onto the floor, Theo reaches a hand towards her, murmurs, “Tara?” and comes close enough to brush the barest edge of her hair, thinking he can feel the strands, maybe, in the brief seconds before Liam comes skidding into the room and she disappears. 

“What the hell, Theo?” he demands, and it’s only now that Theo notices the sharp pain in his hand, the hot blood puddling between his fingers, and realizes he’s stabbed his claws through  
his palm.

* * *

Theo doesn’t like movies much. His parents didn’t, either, from what he can remember. They watched a lot of TV, nothing serious, and Tara had liked to read. Theo doesn’t remember liking anything, much, before. Fuzzy memories too painful to go near.

He doesn’t get why the pack has movie nights, anyone who can come showing up; according to Liam, Peter has slunk through a couple of times, which Theo wants to see just for how awkward it would be. Theo doesn’t think he understood what a pack’s really supposed to be like, when he was trying to create one through fear and submission. The McCall pack is too kind to be the threat they are.

The chairs in the living room have been moved around enough for all of them to fit, Liam in his armchair, Theo at his feet, Mason and Corey snuggled together on the loveseat. Alec is squished onto the couch next to Scott and Malia, who has curled her body around Scott’s. Theo can feel her eyes drilling into the back of his head, at the soft point where his hairline meets his neck and a bite there would disable his spine, leaving him helpless and splayed out. It’s making his hackles raise, distracting him even more from the movie where two people from Victorian England are falling in love or something, not that he cares.

Theo doesn’t have much of an imagination and he’s fine with that. He doesn’t need an imagination to kill people or work at a gas station. It doesn’t help that Liam’s calf keeps bumping against his shoulder, leaving his scent there in little wafts, Liam giggling and pleased while Mason mocks the male lead’s hair. Theo huffs and leans back against Liam’s leg, letting it support him, getting comfortable. Might as well if he has to be here. 

“They’ve probably never brushed their teeth, too,” Mason mutters while the leads kiss, smiling under Corey’s gentle shove, Theo reminded of how he had come upon Liam brushing his fangs the previous morning. 

Theo had been half asleep, felt the stretch of the bond from the slightly too far away bathroom where Liam was, followed him there and leant against the doorframe. Liam’s hair was sticking up on one side, using his toes to scratch his ankle as he stared dully into the mirror, at his glowing yellow eyes and extended fangs, the toothpaste foam spilling over his lips. When Theo had managed to stop laughing, he’d explained that their fangs don’t need to be brushed, and now he sends an amused glance Liam’s way, is pleased to catch Liam looking down at him expectantly, waiting for the joke.

“Liam brushes his werewolf fangs,” Theo says immediately, tipping his head back fully to grin at Liam, aware he’s exposing his throat but safe in the knowledge that only Malia will really understand it. Liam rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling.

“I did at first, too,” Scott reassures, kind as always, putting a hand on Malia’s knee. 

“I didn’t brush my teeth from age nine til you guys brought me back,” she shrugs, stretching out, leaning into Alec’s side, her legs splayed across Scott’s lap. Comfortable with her pack. 

“That’s gross,” Liam says, wrinkling his nose, Malia flashing him a quick, white-toothed grin. 

“Didn’t hurt me much.” 

“You’re not supposed to brush your fangs?” They all turn to Alec, who squirms under their gaze, beginning to grin a little sheepishly. Theo can practically feel the pack bonds forming between everyone. Disgusting.

* * *

Liam doesn’t have a backyard so much as he has a plot of land leading directly into the Preserve, the scent of pine and rotting leaves thick in Theo’s nose. It’s a good home for a werewolf, an easy escape and close to the woods where they’re most comfortable. He likes it; he’s spent a lot of time in these woods.

Not all of it good, but...some of it. Lying on a rock near the lake drenched in sun, shifted, dipping his paws in the water. The time he sat still for so long that a hawk landed on the branch over his head, lingered there, content to rip its prey into shreds. Slices of peace when he could catch them. 

Theo stiffens as Liam comes up behind him, close enough for Theo’s elbows, bared by his too-small shirt, to brush up against the fabric of Liams tank, leaving traces of his scent there. Like it matters; any werewolf would know instantly they’re connected in some way. Liam’s thoughtful, quiet for once, his scent thickening.

“What’re you thinking?” Theo asks, nudging Liam so they’re next to each other, Theo’s fingers touching against the round bone of Liam’s wrist. He half wishes their connection included telepathy; one sided, of course. Theo doesn’t think Liam would be so friendly if he knew what Theo thinks about him sometimes, in the dark, when Liam’s sweetness suffuses their room and his neck is bared, vulnerable...Or how often Theo thinks about killing people. 

“What’s scentmarking?” 

“Who told you that term?” Something more wolfish and bestial than the rest of the pack allows themselves to be. 

“Peter.”

Theo turns, sharply, demanding, “When does he talk to you?” with more intensity than the answer deserves. Peter’s not evil, no more so than Theo is, he just shouldn’t be around someone like Liam. 

“He comes to Scott’s sometimes. It was a while ago. Why are you freaking out?” 

“I’m not freaking out,” Theo defends, freezing his expression.

Liam rests an elbow against the windowsill, curves his body towards Theo so he can kick at Theo’s shin in a friendly way, casually pestering. An action he does to Mason, or Scott. Not Theo, who shifts away. Not too far, though. “Yes, you are. You have a face thing.” 

The face Liam proceeds to make is so squinty and dumb that Theo almost laughs, settles for rolling his eyes. “I don’t have a ‘face thing.’ And you shouldn’t talk to Peter, he tried to kill you guys.” 

“Theo...so did you.”

“Yeah, but I like you now,” Theo says without thinking, winces at his mistake as Liam’s face lights up. “I didn’t mean that,” he growls, bracing himself for rejection, for Liam to _laugh_ , but Liam only keeps grinning, like the fucking _sun_ or whatever, Theo grimacing defensively at him. 

“We like you, too.” Liam frowns. “More than Peter.” 

That’s debatable; maybe Liam does, though, which is nice and a subject Theo is probably going to end up probing like a loose tooth. Pushing until it’s painful. Being liked for his own sake and not a persona is new. Trying to make someone happy for reasons other than survival is _very_ new. 

“Scentmarking is what you do to...let other people know who you hang out with,” Theo explains, which is weak but he’s gearing up to go further into it until Liam nods, motions at his own face, his neck where the pulse is. 

“Oh, so, do it.” 

“I’m _not_ scentmarking you, that _means something_.” 

“But I smell like you, Scott already said so.” 

“Yeah, but not...not on purpose. It’s different when you mean it.” Liam seems disappointed, like he thought Theo was going to be all in for making Liam, like, his werewolf child-bride. Not that Liam’s a _child_ , he’s eighteen, it’s just the intimacy behind it, the promise of long term. Theo’s been wavering on his original plan to leave Beacon Hills when this is over; that doesn’t mean he’s going to mark Liam as his. “It’s something you do when you take a mate,” he explains, sensing Liam’s discomfort and confusion. “We smell like each other because we’re always together, it’s a different thing.” 

Liam’s eyes go round, a blush crawling up from his chest that Theo idly tracks the progress of. “Oh.” He hurriedly steps past Theo, starts digging through his bedside drawer, comes up with the little bottles for his meds, the source of the smell of chemicals Theo’s become accustomed to rising and falling in Liam’s scent throughout the day. “I’m going to, uh, take these.”

Theo fights to keep the smile off his face, even against Liam’s bared back. Awkward little werewolf. “You should know how to do it, though.” 

There’s a mulish set to Liam’s jaw; he doesn’t take being embarrassed well, if it’s Theo. Anyone else, he just laughs. “Why? I’m not gonna use it.”

“Statistically, you’ll end up with someone like us,” Theo points out, because it’s true. Scott has been deplorable at keeping the supernatural hidden, but supernaturals in general keep to their own communities, their own secrets. Even non-shifters run in packs, for safety. If a human learns about the supernatural, it’s usually because they’re about to be killed by one. “It won’t take long.” 

Liam swallows his pills dry with a quick toss of his head, wincing at the taste, before coming back to where Theo has settled onto the windowsill, letting the sun warm his back, between his shoulders. Theo hasn’t been this content in years; warm, fed, freshly showered. Safe. Being forced under the wing of the McCall pack has had more upsides than down, until the bond is broken and Theo has to leave. Back to his truck, hiding from the cops, hunger forever crawling up from his stomach. Even more alone then he was with the Dread Doctors, his life just as worthless. 

For now, he’s happy enough to smile up through his lashes at Liam, touch at the base of his own throat. “It’s a neck thing.” It’s always a neck thing with canine shifters, Theo assuredly _not_ excluded. “You carry your scent here,” he touches behind his ears, stroking down to his jugular, skin prickling. It’s a vulnerable position to be in with anyone; Liam could have his teeth in Theo’s throat in an instant. Not that he would, Theo’s pretty secure in his trust of Liam. But he could. “You spread it by, like…” Theo makes a motion he knows is awkward, palm spread over his collarbone, bending his head in a jerky way, more comfortable with Liam than he would be with anyone else, but still not wanting to bare his throat.

“You have no idea, do you?” Liam asks, grinning at Theo’s responding stony silence. “I bet you’ve never done it before.” 

“Yes, Liam, I haven’t declared werewolf marriage to anyone else,” he drawls, letting his hand fall to his lap. The skin he just touched is tingling. “Surprise, surprise.” Liam smiles goofily at him, scent turning bitter as the pills kick in, taking a few steps away until he can flop on his bed and stretch out. “But you need to be more careful.

“With what?” The morning sun is streaking across Liam’s body, the golden skin of his bare arms, bringing out traces of blonde in his hair. His eyes close as he breathes deep, an action Theo has learned he always does when the medicine comes into effect. So familiar, and startling to be so, Liam more than just the nuisance he was when this began.

“You expose your neck too often. It’s fine for your pack, but you do it around me, too.” Liam opens his mouth, about to argue, probably, that it’s not weird.

Theo shuts him up with, “It’s like you’re a girl flashing your tits.” A crude explanation, but effective. 

Liam rolls to his side, facing Theo as he protests, “But I’m not a girl.” As if Theo hasn’t noticed.

“You’re still flashing your metaphorical werewolf tits at me, Liam.” Liam’s face spasms before he cracks up, Theo surprised to find himself following.

* * *

“I look weird.” 

“Let me see.” 

Theo touches his face, lets his fingers meet at his chin, over the hair there. Growing some semblance of beard didn’t take too long, it’s just...strange. He looks older than he feels. He looks good, of course, he always looks good, it’s just different. Almost familiar. Theo probes at the thought, ignores Liam banging on the closed bathroom door; neither of Liam’s parents are home, so they won’t interfere no matter how loud Liam snarls. 

Theo tips his head in one direction, squints. “I look like my dad,” he realizes, covers the spike of pain and the sudden silence by swinging the door open, Liam stumbling from leaning against it and almost into Theo. He takes a step back, steadies Liam with a quick touch to his arm. “Jeez, Dunbar, relax.” 

Liam sucks in a breath when their eyes meet, blurts, “You look like a man!” “I...am a man?” He’ll be twenty soon, it’s unbelievable he’s managed to make it out of his teens. Well. He did die that one time, but he isn’t sure it counts. 

“Yeah, but like…” Liam flushes and looks away, refusing to answer Theo’s questioning noise. Theo would push it, but he’s hungry and they have to meet the pack for lunch, so he lets it go. 

“I know I’m devastatingly handsome, Liam, you don’t have to stare,” he teases, brushing past Liam and heading down the hallway. 

“I’m not _staring_ ,” Liam protests, forgetting to trot after Theo til the bond tugs at them, Theo jerked back and Liam pulled forward, both of them yelping. “Ouch, sorry,” Liam says, hurrying to catch up, his cheeks pink. “I should be used to this by now.” 

“Kinda hard to get used to.” 

“I don’t know, it hasn’t been so bad.” 

Theo’s startled, gives Liam a sidelong glance. “I thought your every waking moment with me was hell or something.”

“So you do listen to me from the kitchen.” Theo shrugs, doesn’t admit to anything. Doesn’t need to. No one is surprised by the fact that he still spies. “That was a while ago.” Only a couple weeks, but Theo doesn’t argue, rubs a hand over the newness of his beard once more as they walk down the stairs. He has to steady Liam again when he stumbles.

* * *

Theo shudders back into awareness as his cock soaks the inside of his sweatpants, locking shocked eyes with Liam, noting the furrow between his tipped up brows, lip caught between his teeth to keep the noise in as Liam comes onto his stomach, his chest, Theo sucking in a sharp breath along with him. “Liam….” he says after a moment, panting, letting out a soft noise as Liam hurries to pull his pants up, probably not too worried about how uncomfortable that’ll feel right now. Not that Theo is too worried about his _comfort_ right now. “Why are you so close to me?” 

He’s about a foot away, in bed, which usually feels like enough space. Right now, it’s stiflingly close. Theo watches Liam’s profile in the dark, the point of his nose. If he flares his eyes, he could see Liam clearly. He doesn’t dare. 

“I thought if I moved away the bond might wake you up,” Liam says, hand going to his mouth like always, the sweet sugary smell of his arousal making Theo close his eyes for a moment. 

“So you got yourself off less than a foot from me?”

Liam squirms, looking anywhere but at Theo, finally saying, “Well we can’t all be robots like you.” 

“I’m not a robot, I just have self control, which I would be _more_ than happy to help you with.” Liam sucks in a breath, flushing pink along his cheekbones and Theo sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not like that.” _Not like that_ , Theo reminds himself. Those aren’t the kinds of lessons Liam needs from him. 

“I know,” Liam rushes to say, and Theo thinks, not for the first time and definitely not for the last, that it would be very easy to take Liam by his ridiculous hair and push him around, lick the sugar taste from his mouth and skin, teach Liam what patience means until tears well in his eyes. Theo already knows that his breath hitches when he’s about to come, it’s a natural step. 

“I’d love to know what you think you were doing,” Theo groans, putting his hands over his eyes for a moment, pushing down, making little bursting lights. Liam, unfortunately, is still there and still covered in his own come when Theo opens his eyes again. 

“You _know_ what I was doing.” 

Theo grins at him, wide and innocent. “Nah, no idea.” Liam huffs a noise, seems to be content with rolling fully to his side and beaming at Theo, teeth flashing white in the dark. Theo’s answering grimace is ignored, so he gets up to one elbow on his mattress, duvet falling from his shoulders; Theo sleeps curled in a ball, blankets as tight around him as possible, he always has. A habit solidified by having to sleep cramped in the back of his truck. 

“You could at least pretend to have some shame about it.” Liam just shrugs. Having to spend so much time together for weeks has begun scraping away at Theo’s boundaries, which are extensive; they’ve completely removed Liam’s. Unless Theo says something overtly sexual, Liam mostly rolls with the punches. 

They both jump when Liam’s stomach rumbles, startling Theo out of the fairly pleasant rumination he’d begun on what the hollow of Liam’s throat would taste like, a thought he wrestles under control as Liam says, “I’m hungry,” and throws off his covers, the smell of him so strong Theo makes a pathetic whining noise he hides with a cough and pretending to complain about how gross Liam is.

The dark isn’t an obstacle for werewolves; Liam’s glowing eyes would be eerie if they weren’t so familiar. Theo flares his eyes to match; he feels his are slightly darker, wonders if it’s coincidence or a tinge left from his previous sins. 

Those kinds of thoughts are a little too maudlin even for Theo, who keeps pressed up close to Liam’s back, listening idly for Liam’s parents, just in case. He knows he can’t rely on Liam for it. Liam feels safe in his home in a way Theo never has, and never will. Not that anything would really happen if they were caught; David might join them, he has before, when they’re up late and he’s coming home from the nightshift. It’s nice, if Theo can force himself to relax. 

Liam’s parents are in REM. Jenna occasionally talks in her sleep, which had startled Theo awake and into claws his first night here. He’s used to it now. 

It’s easy for him to be a lot quieter than Liam as they sneak around, out of habit. Liam notices, turns to him as they creak down the stairs. “How are you making less noise than me in my own house?” 

One side of his hair is pressed flat, the other side in spikes; it makes him look goofy and young, like he was when Theo first met him. Theo ignores the familiar pang of guilt for his past as he nudges Liam further down the stairs, making him stumble a step and curse mildly at Theo, who grabs him by the arm. “Careful, Liam. I wouldn’t want us breaking an ankle.” 

The place where Theo holds Liam’s arm is pinging with pleasure, a sensation Theo has begun to be less annoyed by as he gets used to it. “ _You_ pushed _me_ ,” Liam sputters as Theo lets him go.

Theo throws him a smirk, explains, “And of course I’m quiet, I’ve had to sneak around for most of my life.”

This is enough to silence Liam’s complaints, rendering him pensive as they reach the bottom of the stairs. “Did you do that in my house?” Liam asks, heading for the cabinet that holds the snacks while Theo goes to the fridge, where he can find the fruit salad Jenna made for last night’s dinner. Fruit wasn’t something he got a lot of at any point in recent years, and he’s developed an addiction to strawberries that Liam finds hilarious.

“No, of course I didn’t go in your house,” he answers, using a claw to pierce a blueberry as he wisely avoids the subject of what sneaking around he did _outside_ Liam’s house. Just enough to know what he was in for. To think he knew, anyway. “You would’ve noticed, I can only really hide my scent when I’m shifted.”

He catches the sharp surprise in Liam’s smell at the same time of his intake of breath, Theo turning to him with the chilled bowl of fruit held against his chest, giving him goosebumps. “ _Wait_. You’re that dog me and Mason saw in school, when you were evil!” Liam realizes, frozen from where he was reaching for the Poptarts. 

“I can’t believe you only just realized that.” He basks in Liam’s indignation as he eats his blueberry, ignores a kiwi in search for another one. “And I’m not a dog.”

Liam makes a frustrated, shrill noise, knocking a box of crackers onto the counter, where it teeters before falling to the floor. Upstairs, David’s heartbeat picks up, close enough to waking that Theo shushes Liam as he’s grumbling, “You scared the _shit_ out of us.”

“That was the point, Liam; remember when I was scary?” Liam gives him a shrug, like it was so long ago he’s mostly forgotten about it. Maybe he has; Liam wasn’t as personally targeted by Theo as some of the others. “You need to be quiet or your dad’s gonna wake up.” 

“How can you tell?” 

Theo almost explains it, until he thinks about the times he has to pretend to be asleep. Maybe this lesson can wait until they’re separated, and Theo doesn’t have to hide so much of himself. Being connected to Liam like this can be blistering sometimes. “I just know because you’re being loud.” 

Liam accepts this easily enough, preoccupied with locating his favorite flavor of granola bar, the dark chocolate kind that Theo hates. Theo throws a smile at the back of his head that’s relieved and almost fond before returning to the fridge in search of baby carrots.

“I can be stealthy,” Liam says, like he’s not well-known in the pack for falling in holes and being the first person to drop anything fragile. It’s weird that someone who’s so athletic, and always has been, would be so graceless. 

“Not like me.” 

“ _Not like me_ , cause I was raised to be a super spy,” Liam says under his breath, like Theo can’t hear him clearly. 

“Don’t be jealous, Liam, it’s not a good look.” A comment that would’ve earned him a fight when this first started, neither of them bringing their best intentions. Now, Liam just sticks out his tongue, lightly tossing one of his granola bars at Theo, who catches it without turning. “Gonna have to be faster than that to get me, Liam.” Liam doesn’t argue. Judging from the rustling sounds behind Theo, he’s wrist deep in the Fruit Roll-Ups.

* * *

They end up at the kitchen table with their bounty, Liam scattering plastic wrapped snacks across the surface with a scrape that makes Theo wince as he carefully puts down his own mismatched bowls. The Dunbar family seems to collect funky pottery; Theo hasn’t yet eaten from something that matches the others. It’s a nice contrast to what he remembers of his mother’s carefully curated white plates. 

“My mom wants you to come on the yearly Dunbar family road trip,” Liam says between bites; he eats voraciously, every time. Theo has no idea why Liam would tell him that now, when it seems to be an invitation Jenna should give, but he snorts a laugh, imagining himself cooped up with the Dunbars, a weapon worse than usual in their midst. If Liam is a knife, Theo is a shotgun. 

“I’ll be gone by then.” Definitely won’t be with the Dunbar family, at the very least. Theo is assuming, once they tell his parents about the whole werewolf thing, what Theo did to the pack will come out shortly after that. And he will not be nearly so welcome in their household. Liam pauses in his chewing, giving Theo round eyes. “Because we’ll be separated and I’ll have left.” 

At least, he hopes so. As unexpectedly not-terrible as this has been, it can’t be forever. Theo doesn’t deserve for it to be. He’s taken aback by the upset flooding Liam’s scent, acrid enough to make his nose wrinkle while Liam’s face takes on a mix of hurt and dismay. “You can’t leave!” 

“Not _now_ , Liam. When we’re separated.” He motions at the invisible bond around his heart, connected to Liam.

“Not then, either!” Liam’s getting angry, his reaction to most things, eyes flashing. This close to the moon, the shift will be running hot under his skin. 

Theo tries a placating, “Okay, Liam, it’s alright.” 

“It’s _not_ ,” Liam snaps, and he’s actually upset, this isn’t his usual flash in the pan anger. Theo catches the shiver of motion when Liam holds himself back from standing, getting aggressive. He’s never been afraid of Liam, and he isn’t now, but he is surprised. “Sometimes you’re so...you’re fine, and it’s almost like we’re...and then you do _this_.” Liam bangs on the table, once, with flat palms. Theo jumps, feeling the shift under his own skin. He doesn’t feel the call of the moon like natural shifters do, but he does react to it in others. 

“That doesn’t make any sense, Liam,” Theo says, not even trying to be a jerk, it just doesn’t make _sense_. 

“It’s like you still think I hate you.”

“You...do?” Maybe not as much as he did when this began, the two of them coexisting fairly peaceably, but Theo can’t imagine Liam feels much more than a kind of dull acceptance. An allyship that will be rescinded when this is over. 

Liam sits back in his chair, snacks forgotten, flops his head back to glower at the ceiling. Theo’s about to make a comment, something that would make Liam snap, most likely. Liam knows how to read him by now; he raises a hand for Theo to be silent, then opens his mouth, closes it, takes more time considering his words than Theo is used to from him. The moment hangs and stretches. 

Theo is totally focused on his scent, the slight upticks in his heartbeat, which is why he can probably be excused for not hearing David come down the stairs until he’s actually walked into the kitchen and flicked the lights on, an action that surprises them both into flared eyes and fanged snarls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you like the cliffhanger? >:) next chapter will have MORE than enough drama for everyone


	10. please theo get some self esteem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back!!! u missed me :)

It, of course, ends up being Theo who explains it all, once they’ve shaken Liam’s mom awake and bundled her down to the kitchen, wrapped up in a blanket and squinting just like Liam does when he’s half-asleep. So many similarities between them, and Theo wonders what he would’ve become, if he’d stayed with his family. If he would take his dad’s long walks, or always have rubber bands on his wrists like his mom. Little tics picked up by people growing on each other.

Theo fights the urge to clear his throat, almost fidgets. Almost. He’s been in tenser situations than this, but few that mattered more. Liam feels solid and vital, has a cause and purpose that isn’t Theo tricking people into their deaths. But _Your son is a werewolf_ isn’t an easy thing to explain to anyone. Much less a middle class family who aren’t even religious. Religious people believe more easily, he’s found. It makes sense.

Theo does his best, has Liam show off his fangs, his claws, the yellow glow in his eyes til both of them are awed and silent. Lays out the reality of what they’re walking into. It’s a heavy thing, this world they’re taking on. Even being related to Liam can make them targets for hunters. He does his best to explain that, as kindly as possible, make them aware of the risks. But not scared, not after the first initial shock when David dropped the phone he was using as a flashlight and swore vehemently.

Theo’s just glad they don’t think it’s some kind of prank. It’s hard to doubt though. When you see it, you know; the unnatural frisson of the supernatural or something dramatic like that. He’s had to do this with a couple of people; marks, really, people who were going to become part of the Doctor’s eternal quest for the perfect specimen. Always with that underlying fear of replacement. If they were better than him, Theo was dead. They weren’t better than him.

They face off on opposite sides of the kitchen table, Liam small and shamed next to Theo, who tips to the side so their shoulders brush as some comfort. Maybe very little, considering who Theo is. Their forced bond.

Liam’s thumb is in his mouth, chewing, Theo feeling that now-familiar sensation of having his nails bitten too short even though his own are fine. The noise is setting his teeth on edge; he grits them. Keeps his temper down because this is a lot for Liam, being forced to reveal what should’ve been a family sit down. David’s shout had been loud enough to make them both cringe away, Liam’s hands clapping on his ears, the shift forced back into his skin. Theo had stiffened, surprised by his own surprise; it’s rare that anyone sneaks up on him. 

Now, Jenna curls in her seat, a little round shape of blankets hunching against David, his arm around her shoulders. Solid and safe.

“You had to know something weird was going on,” Theo says, trying to keep his tone gentle, knowing his story will come out and they’ll stop viewing him and Liam as similar creatures. 

David shrugs, rubs at the stubble on his chin before drawing a hand across his whole face. “I mean...I kind of knew. That something was off here, at least. This town has a suspicious amount of wolf attacks.” He gives them both a smile, tentative, Liam returning it and Theo giving one that’s more a baring of teeth. He still doesn’t trust this type of easy kindness, even though he wants to. Another personal failing. 

“Are you safe?” Jenna cuts in, and Theo finds himself grateful, just for Liam’s sake, that the first thing she does is take care of her son. But he can also see the thought crawling up from somewhere she undoubtedly doesn’t want it to, of the claws and fangs David got a glimpse of, the tangled mess of Liam’s IED against his new to her identity as a werewolf. The pack doesn’t manage Liam; they don’t have to. But Theo could, if needed. He _has_. He’ll hold Liam back if he has to. 

There’s more love in her than concern; Theo watches her wide eyes, thinks of the times he’s tried to kill Liam, the multiple times they’ve narrowly avoided being killed. Digging bullets out of wounds that close over in moments. The time Liam went down to Mexico to almost be killed by Scott. The time they were in a police station, Liam’s breath coming out in scared puffs as Theo accepted that he’d be dying just moments after coming back. Dragged back to Hell with Tara. Too many close calls to tell when Jenna’s already reeling from finding out Liam’s a werewolf. The thought of explaining to Liam’s sweet, soft mother that her son has been shot multiple times, among other things, is sour on his tongue. She probably gets upset if Liam sprains an ankle. 

He and Liam exchange a glance that says enough for Liam to shake his head, hide behind Theo’s extensive practice at lying. Instead of reassurances, the words, “No, not really,” come out of his mouth, Theo surprised by his honesty. Not the words he intended to use here, but they may do more good. Liam’s mother probably wouldn’t have accepted it anyway, too wary of their previous lies.

“We have a pack, though,” Liam cuts in. That’s arguable; Liam has a pack, sure. Theo isn’t really included. And a fat lot of good a pack did to people like the Hales. A pack with more than twenty members, butchered like animals by one determined hunter. It had sent a shockwave across the supernatural world; there had been no retaliation for fear of worse. Hunters are quick to seek revenge, no matter how deserved any supernatural attack is. 

“Like a real wolf?” 

Liam nods, beginning to shift in his seat. His stomach growls, low enough that only Theo can hear, his head turning a hair towards Liam. Their late night snack is still spread across the table, one unwrapped granola bar near Theo’s elbow that he hands to Liam.Their argument had been totally derailed by David’s arrival, but it’ll come back eventually. Liam’s stubborn.“We protect each other. Scott did this to me. He had to.” Theo knows why Liam doesn’t want to tell the story; because it’s almost too ludicrous to be true. Liam in the wrong place at the wrong time, a perfect target for a starving wendigo. “Mason’s part of it. Corey is…” Liam trails off, because chimera takes too long to explain and Theo doesn’t want him to, so he won’t push it. “Corey can turn invisible.” 

Corey can do more than that. Maybe he’ll find out someday if Theo actually has the balls to talk to him for longer than five minutes.

“So which of your friends...isn’t a supernatural creature?” David asks, seeming to come at this from a place of almost scientific curiosity, leaning forward in his seat.

“Mason! And Stiles, even though both of them were kind of...hm.” 

“A lot of us are special,” Theo fills in for him, smiling, reassuring and sweet and deflecting from Liam. 

“And we can’t get hurt or be scarred.” Liam brightens as he says this, with the reassurance of a werewolf who’s seen people come back from the dead. 

“We can,” Theo says darkly, touching at the small sliver of scar across his right wrist. “If there’s enough damage. Or if you’re really dedicated.” 

It’s the wrong thing to say; the Geyers are startled, and Liam gives him a worried look, eyebrows drawing together, and shuffles sideways til they’re pressed leg to hip. Taking care of him, Liam doesn’t smell so nervous, straightening even as Theo hunches further, waiting for Liam to explain, lay out Theo’s many secrets, pick over the bare bones of what he’s done to the pack. 

The Geyers are swaying, sleepy and probably a little in shock; a lot to learn in one night, too much coming together about Beacon Hills. The murders, the weird omens, the many mysterious bites. Some of Liam’s behavior in the past couple years is undoubtedly making sense beyond the usual teenage nonsense. Overall, his story is a good one. Bitten by Scott, who’s such a fucking hero he became a True Alpha, Liam has been through a lot, but he’s always picked the right side. He’s a hero, too. Theo is...not that. He’s a mistake, an abomination, something created by people who were even less human than Theo himself.

He swallows down bile, can’t look fully at their kind faces. All this has come out, and they still expect the best. Theo doesn’t want any part of his story being revealed to them; Tara, Josh, Tracy, when he carelessly ripped apart Scott’s pack and Liam’s closest friends. The Geyer/Dunbar family has been generous to a stray, but they won’t be to the calculating killer Theo still is, despite his new, fragile conscience. He could still do things Liam won’t, if he has to. If Liam needed him. 

So he brushes aside Jenna’s questions about what he is, focuses on Liam and how _harmless_ he is, easy to explain to a mother who’s been loving her son through his IED for years now. 

“I haven’t killed anyone,” Liam blurts out, which, Jesus. Because that’s not terrifying at all. Theo keeps his mouth shut around how close they came to a different outcome in the locker room, Theo offering help and being more serious about it than Liam understands. 

“I know, Liam,” she murmurs, reaching across the table, taking Liam’s hand without any fear of the claws hiding there. Theo ignores her curious sidelong glance at himself, the questions hiding there; much like Liam, she’s a lot more perceptive than she appears to be. There will be questions later, attempts to separate them so she can grill Theo, and eventually she’ll discover the truth about the bond as well. It’s been days without word from Deaton, and Theo’s plans to flee seem less and less likely as he gets used to Beacon Hills. It doesn’t even feel as bad at this point, as he and Liam settle into each other. 

Theo waits for Liam to explain the bond, the real reason they’re together, a secret that’s definitely more acceptable than the lycanthrophy. But Liam never mentions it, contents himself some with the embrace of an understanding family that Theo keeps away from, not wanting it; or, wanting it, but knowing it’s undeserved.

* * *

Liam calls Scott after, when his parents have stumbled back to bed, shell shocked and weary but not scared. Not _of_ Liam. For him, probably. They’ll have nightmares tonight, of Liam, undoubtedly. Probably him getting hurt, an injury that doesn’t heal. Theo feels sorry for them. Life is so much easier without the supernatural, so much safer. They didn’t even choose this, with Liam being a victim of happenstance. Theo had walked into this life and can really only blame himself. Liam was just a kid; a teenager turned so young that some packs are still looking down on Scott for it, despite the circumstances. 

Mulling it over, Theo doesn’t even bother listening to Liam’s chatter with Scott, the confidence and reassurance already straightening Liam’s shoulders, sure in Scott like they all are. He’s taken them through worse than this. “Oh...okay,” Liam says after a couple minutes, leaning down from his bed to tap Theo’s shoulder, Theo actually jumping from where he’s mulling over what went wrong, every reaction, picking apart the conversation for any issues. A mental consultation he’s practiced at, but rusty. It’s been a while since every conversation held terror, Theo on a knife edge of people to please. It makes him feel weird sometimes, to go off script. “Melissa wants to talk to you,” Liam tells him, no concern in his face. Doesn’t mean much, Liam’s comfortable and welcome in the McCall pack. 

It’s _Theo_ who’s the problem here, who let an attention lapse expose Liam before he was ready. Although, honestly, he likely never would have been. This went better than Theo had expected; he can hear the Geyers talking in soft tones a couple rooms over. Theo had explained the super senses but that’s a hard one to really believe unless demonstrated, so they don’t know they’re being overheard. 

The Geyers are scared, for Liam like Theo expected. But not terrified, already discussing the people they assume are in Liam’s pack, and the events of the past couple years that didn’t have a real explanation. Liam’s phone is warm from his hand, their fingers brushing as Theo takes it. 

“Hello?” he says into the phone, dumbly; he knows who’s on the other end even if he couldn’t faintly hear her heartbeat.

“Hey, Theo…” she starts, sleep warm around the words; another night shift, Theo wincing at the thought of her being woken up just to deal with his crap. Making the dark rings under her eyes worse. He can hear Scott shifting, Argent’s rumbling murmur, pictures them all crowded together in her bedroom. The usual emergency conference. A picture of domestic peace; a hunter, an Alpha werewolf, and the woman who binds them together. Theo wonders, cruelly, where their memories of Allison fit into their makeshift family. 

“I’m sorry,” he says over her, rolling to the side, away from Liam, who doesn’t need to see his expression turn pleading. Liam’s seen enough of his weaknesses. “I didn’t mean to relax. I should’ve _noticed-_ ” 

She cuts him off with, “Theo, honey, I just wanted to check if you’re okay.” Her voice turns sardonic. “I figured you’d react like this.”

Humiliatingly, unexpectedly, Theo feels the prick of tears, swallows it down as he says thickly, “Oh. Um. Yeah.” He doesn’t say _thank you_ , he doesn’t say, God forbid, _You called me honey_.

There’s a voice in the background. Alec, woken up by the commotion and sleepily asking if everything is alright. If Theo and Liam are okay. That makes it worse, the unexpected kindness of being included in Alec’s worry. 

“You guys should come over,” Melissa says through a yawn. “Tomorrow.”

“O-Okay.” God, his eyes are fucking _watering_. Who has he become? Liam shifts behind him, _pity_ in his scent, the sensation of him reaching a hand out raising the hairs on Theo’s neck. _Don’t fucking touch me_ , he thinks, more desperate than angry, afraid of what will happen if they connect. He curls his shoulders against it, preemptively fanged, trusts Liam to know when to stay away. Theo’s not part of his pack, to be cosseted. Liam takes the hint, breathing out through his nose, pulling away as Theo ends the conversation and hands his phone back.

“So what did she want?” 

“You were listening,” Theo says rudely, staring sullenly up at Liam from his mattress next to the bed, irritated with everything about this whole night, with _wanting_ and explaining their messed up little secret world and now he’s back here, with a sympathetic Liam. It might be worse than if Liam was angry at Theo for failing to keep their secret safe. At least then they could fight it out. “You’re a werewolf.”

A piece of hair flops in Liam’s face; he pushes it out of the way as he’s rolling his eyes, falling to one elbow and grinning at Theo, a secret tucked up in the corner of his smile. “A polite werewolf.” As if Liam’s ever been polite in his _life_. 

Theo fights his own smile for barely a moment, relaxes back onto his cot with all the anger gone out of him. “That hasn’t been my experience,” he says back, turning his head to look at the ceiling instead, flares his eyes to see in the dark. There isn’t anything up there, no monsters or Tara’s lurking ghost. Still, he’s careful. 

“Maybe you’re special.” There’s a weird kind of intensity in Liam’s voice that has Theo turning his head again, examining Liam’s familiar, sharp features. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m not soul-bonded to anyone else.”

“Thank God, I was worried you were cheating on me. I’ve been reading Cosmo articles about how to keep your man satisfied.” This gets a giggle out of Liam, a noise Theo’s never heard from him before. Surprised into laughter, and Theo follows him, warmth bubbling in his chest. 

“Okay, Theo. There haven’t been enough blowjobs, but I’ll give you a pass.” 

Theo sucks in a breath, fingers tightening where they’re resting on his stomach, helpless against the images that puts in his mind. Being on his knees for Liam, being wanted there, Liam’s hand on the crown of his head, thighs around Theo’s ears, deep enough in his throat that Theo can’t breathe, can’t _think_ , the sweet scent of Liam overwhelming him. Being useful. “Um…” 

“Relax, Theo. I’m just kidding.”

“Right. I know.”

Doesn’t smell like he’s kidding; Theo ignores it. They’re young and Liam’s been single for awhile now. Theo would just be an easy proxy for someone Liam really wants. They’re quiet for a moment, not awkward despite the conversation, getting peaceful. It’s early enough that going back to bed is an option, if they sleep in. There isn’t much for them to do besides Jenna’s easy chores, maybe helping David out if he wants to play catch. Some of the normal family things Theo mentioned _have_ come true. It’s kind of nice actually. Theo hasn’t been part of a normal family for more than a decade. 

“They’re talking about hunters.” Theo’s been half listening to the Geyers this whole time, didn’t know Liam was. But of course he is. Liam’s been learning these past weeks, has more control over what he can do. He’s thriving under Theo’s tutelage, being a werewolf coming easily to him, as most physical things do. Liam’s scent seeps into upset, bittersweet, and he’s not crying but the possibility is there. Theo shifts in his bed, unsure. “I’ve fucked up their lives so much.” 

Theo’s not used to this kind of confession, makes an awkward face and hopes Liam isn’t watching him in the dark. He isn’t good with emotional situations that don’t require manipulation. “They love you, though.” The kind of deep, thoughtless love that Theo would kill for; had killed, when he murdered Tara. She was his best friend. He taps two fingers against her heart, loose and thoughtful. Past crimes. 

“I’m not worth it,” Liam whispers, and it’s rare for him to get maudlin like this, not that Theo can blame him after tonight’s events. 

“You are.” Theo’s telling the truth, has seen the adoration in the faces of everyone who loves Liam, how he throws himself into danger for anyone he loves, without thinking, the funny quirks that even Theo has come to find endearing. He can seem dumb, at first glance. When Theo hated him. But there’s depth there, and kindness. 

Liam clears his throat; Theo hopes it’s his turn to be taken aback by this conversation. Theo’s been startled enough for tonight. “Um. Thanks, Theo.” 

“I’m just being honest.” 

It might be finally time to sleep, Theo yawning into his hand, curling up a little with an arm under his pillow, until Liam whispers, “I hate them.” No need to ask who; the Geyers are still talking about hunters. Piecing together what happened with Monroe without knowing who Monroe is. Theo hadn’t explained her, or that she’s _still fucking out there_. Let the Geyers sleep easier than Liam and Theo tonight. 

“Hunters aren’t for people like you, Liam.”

At Liam’s incredulous look, Theo amends, “They’re not _supposed_ to be for people like you. They’re for people like me. Who I used to be.” Theo seems to have escaped punishment for his prior crimes, something he’s not going to question. He’s been more than lucky. The hunter clans never came close to touching the Doctors; they may not have known Theo even exists. 

“But you were just a kid.” Theo hasn’t been a kid since he killed Tara, and maybe before then. When he started seriously planning to kill her. 

“So were the people I killed.” So was Scott, and Stiles, and especially Liam, still babyfaced at just sixteen. Mason, Corey, Hayden, all so young. And those were the ones who got to keep living. Theo swallows down nausea, watches Liam make a face and rest a hand on his stomach. “I was someone who deserved to be taken down.”

“No, you-” 

“Liam,” Theo says once, roughly. “It’s been a long night,” he says instead of _please_. Instead of _I know. I remember how young we were_. With time has come understanding of what was done to him. Forgiving himself will take longer. He rolls to the side again, away from Liam, knowing he’s being obvious but, for once, not trying to hide it. Liam’s already seen all the worst parts of him, at this point. Showing weakness can’t make it worse, despite his earlier thoughts. 

“You’re not that person anymore, okay?” Liam says behind him, the specter of his hand there again. This time, Liam allows it to fall, fingers brushing over the strands of Theo’s hair, the nape of his neck; he shudders under the touch. Whether it’s pleasure or pain, even he can’t tell. “Now go to bed.” 

The room, Theo realizes as they settle, still smells like sex, their earlier problem almost forgotten in the face of all that’s happened. It comes back with a fury of heat to Theo’s cock. He wants to suck the taste of sex from Liam’s belly, feel him warm and trembling under Theo’s tongue. “You go to bed,” he says, weakly, and spends the night tossing fitfully in dreams of teeth and tongues.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning is an awkward, quiet event, all of them doing their best not to bring up the werewolf thing, all of them wanting to. There can’t be any other topic of conversation, so they just don’t talk, pick quietly at their food. 

Jenna had taken the time to get up early and make quiche, which is Liam’s favorite breakfast and Theo’s as well, when he’s tried it for the first time. Another enjoyable first brought to him by the bond. A special meal, like they’re celebrating. ‘Congrats on coming out as a werewolf’ is amusing enough that Theo smiles into his orange juice, ignoring Liam’s increasingly uncomfortable fidgeting. He wonders idly what other food is special to Liam. Something sweet, he thinks. 

Jenna picks at her food, distracted, shooting glances at Theo that she probably thinks he doesn’t notice. It isn’t her fault no one told her he was raised to pick up on every single emotional cue. David might actually chew through the inside of his cheek at the rate he’s going, although outwardly he’s emotionless, practiced after years working in the emergency room. He’s going off of Jenna’s reaction, Theo can tell. The reveal last night probably came as less of a shock to him. Anyone working in a Beacon Hills hospital knows, even subconsciously, that there’s something weird going on. 

By the end of breakfast, Theo’s thigh is brushing up against Liam’s under the table, the two of them shifting towards each other as a consequence of the bond and old habit. Liam’s foot is jiggling and it’s annoying as hell, actually, Theo trying without success to tune it out. The sound of Liam’s foot tapping on the floor seems deafening when it’s this quiet. 

He’s trying to be nice but that doesn’t always happen; he puts a hand on Liam’s thigh, just as a warning, claws out, digging so lightly into Liam’s skin that he doesn’t even feel pain. He does, however, feel the sharp bolt of arousal that shoots through Liam and, thus, into Theo, who stiffens in his seat and removes his hand, fingers tingling. His throat is dry. Are they ever going to talk about this? Theo doesn’t even know _how_ they would talk about it. He’s never done that with another person, never had friends to joke about sex with and with the people he’s actually fucked, it was quick and shallow. Theo didn’t even know their names at least half of the time, he just needed to blow off steam when the Doctors would let him loose, or he needed some kind of human touch when he came back from Hell. The after Hell encounters were rare; Theo is even weirder about being touched now. Liam isn’t a meaningless stranger, is too connected to Theo for it not to matter. He can’t even think of what to say. 

A second later, Liam is bumping shoulders with him, grinning sheepishly. The only kind of talk they’ll get, he figures. It’s enough. Theo’s had enough messy untangling for the time being. He’s busy licking his fingers clean of bacon grease when Jenna calls him into the kitchen under the pretext of doing dishes, and Theo doesn’t have to be a werewolf to catch the tension in her voice.

So they’re finally going to talk about who Theo really is, the secrets he’s still keeping. She’s probably spent the night mulling over the spots Theo avoided, coming to conclusions that are likely inaccurate and not as bad as what actually happened. Theo doesn’t come off as a murderer. Of course he doesn’t, that would have defeated the point. She most likely has enough sympathy left over from hearing about what happened to Tara around town to think the best of him. It’s nice, while it lasts. 

Liam makes a token effort to join them, breathing out an oof when Theo presses him down with a hand on his shoulder. This isn’t something Theo will use Liam to protect him from. “Stay there.” Liam gives Theo a hangdog expression as he’s heading into the kitchen, grateful it’s just close enough for the bond to be only mildly uncomfortable instead of tugging, taking the dish Jenna hands to him without comment. 

Like her son, Jenna doesn’t waste time messing around, leans her hip against the sink to watch him put cups in the dishwasher for a moment before she asks, “What are you to my son, really?” Theo has a dozen sarcastic comments in the back of his throat that she doesn’t deserve. It’s a hard question, though, one that Theo doesn’t have an answer for himself. Enemy, once. Ally, definitely. Maybe even friends. Theo doesn’t hate the thought of that like he once would have. He takes his time, rescues a spoon from the garbage disposal and puts it aside while she waits with poorly concealed impatience that is _so_ reminiscent of Liam he has to tuck a smile into his cheek. “Theo.” She’s quiet, probably thinks her voice is low enough that Liam can’t hear. As if he’s not straining his hearing to catch every word. “No matter how bad it is, you can tell me.” 

Fingers trembling, just a little, Theo drops a plate that thankfully doesn’t break, the clatter of it making them both jump. Even Liam yelps in the dining room. Theo murmurs an apology, finally says, “It’s bad. It’s really, really bad.” Not enough to express the scope of it, but Theo doesn’t have the ability to put into words what happened to him, what he did to other people. The other towns that weren’t as lucky as Beacon Hills. Theo has only directly killed three people. Only, like that’s a small enough number to be proud of. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t responsible for other victims, a trail of bodies left behind before he even reached adulthood. Reading the thoughts he isn’t bothering to hide, Jenna reaches out a hand that he flinches away from, something he had assumed he was fucking _done with_ , an embarrassing reaction from a lifetime of harm. No one is going to hurt him here, no matter what his next words are. Liam’s family isn’t like that.

She draws her hand back, examining him in a new way that Theo shrinks under, rinsing the same dish over and over to escape meeting her gaze. “Liam trusts you.”

“He shouldn’t,” Theo says shortly. “They made me…” He pauses, because he had choices. He can’t lay what he did at the feet of the Doctors, not everything. The vicious pleasure he had taken in tearing the McCall pack apart had been all him. “I hurt Liam.”

There it is, the confession that will finally turn her away. She loves Liam, is undeniably protective. No reason to welcome Theo into her home now that the truth is out. He figures Melissa will take them back in until the bond is broken. It’ll be nice to cook with her every day again, although Theo likes living here without the McCall stench hanging over everything, and Liam is endlessly happy to be home.

Jenna doesn’t react like he expected, just takes the last plate from him and puts it away, closes the dishwasher and starts it. Her movements are slow and deliberate, not scared or angry. Just thoughtful. With the dishwasher on, Liam won’t be able to hear clearly, blocked by the loud mechanical noise. He wonders if she did that on purpose. Doubtful. 

“Before I left Liam’s bio dad, Liam broke his arm six times. That’s not including everything else. We were in the hospital almost every other week.” She crosses an arm over her chest, slouching, and she’s so small in this kitchen, the guilt seeping out of her. “Liam wasn’t a clumsy kid.I think you know…” She doesn’t have to finish, Theo more than capable of putting the pieces together. Her shame, Liam’s fierce protection of anyone weak, the IED. Liam’s missing bio dad. It’s an ugly picture. “You know what I mean,” she finishes. “I’ve hurt Liam, too.” 

“You got out,” Theo says to reassure her, and she puts a hand on his arm that he allows this time, the sun glinting off her golden hair. 

She says, kind and fierce, “Theo. So did you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be in the last chapter but i went w something else so it's going to be here :)  
> "I've love to know what you think you were doing."  
> "You _know_ what I was doing," Liam hisses, so red he's near glowing in the dark; Theo can smell him, hot and sweet. He licks his lips. "Don't be an asshole."  
> "Can't help it, raised that way," Theo responds on automatic, catches the breath of laughter Liam releases before stifling it.  
> "The Dread Doctors raised you specifically to bother me, okay," Liam teases, and Theo's so surprised to hear Liam refer to them jokingly, for the first time ever, that his answer of, "Yes," comes out all weird and strangled. Liam rolls to face him, pink-cheeked and not as embarrassed as Theo, personally, feels he should be; Theo makes sure Liam is asleep and _stays_ asleep when he's getting himself off. Liam, of course, has no such courtesy.


End file.
